Many microwave units and systems of various complication levels were designed, manufactured and deployed in Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A. Our laboratories are equiped in modern measurment devices produced by renowned firms, such as Agilent or Rhode-Schwartz. In EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and environmental tests we cooperate with certified domestic laboratories.

Production of TWT's and R&D requires specialistic equipment and highly skilled personnel: engineers, constructors, technologists and technicians. Most of equipment, especially vacuum devices, were projected, made or modernized in Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A. It proves high qualifications of the personnel. The following processes take place in Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A.:

• thermal processing;
• mechanical machining;
• washing and cleaning;
• materials joining;
• vacuum processing.

They are the following processes of thermal processing:

• De-oxidation;
• De-gassing;
• Annealing;
• Sintering;
• Hardening;
• Demagnetization;
• Oxidation;
• Removal of impregnants and fillers.

All processes are realized in suitable atmosphere: hydrogen, nitrogen and their mixtures, argon, air and vacuum.
Between processed materials they are metals with their alloys (aluminum, copper, copper alloys, hafnium, nickel, nickel alloys, alloy steels, iron, molybdenum, tantalum, titanium, kovar, wolfram, platinum and others) and ceramics mainly alundum and beryllium.

1. Furnaces for thermal processing in protective or reductive atmosphere (H₂)

   

   Bell-jar furnace – Tmax=900^oC; operating volume: Φ=250mm, h=450mm

   

   One-zone tube furnace – Tmax=1500^oC; operating volume: Φ=75mm, l=450mm; manufacturer CARBOLITE 2007

   

   Three-zone tube furnace - Tmax=1200^oC; operating volume: Φ=100mm, l=400mm; modernized in 2007, system of gas protection – Keison 2008

2. Furnaces for processing in vacuum p<5x10^-6hPa

   

   Two vertical furnaces Tmax=1100^oC; operating volume: Φ=260mm, h=200mm

   

   Three horizontal furnaces Tmax=1200^oC; operating volumes:

   1. Φ=100mm, l=600mm;.
   2. Φ=60mm, l=300mm;
   3. Φ=70mm, l=700mm;

   manufactured by Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A. – modernized 2007-2008

3. Three vacuum furnaces for pumping out and degasing of traveling wave tubes (TWTs).

   

   p<10^-8hPa, Tmax=500^oC; modernized in 2006

4. Vacuum furnace for inductive soldering

   

   p<5x10^-6hPa; microprocessor controlled power generator; Pmax=10kW, f=42÷80kHz; manufactured by Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A. in 2008

5. Horizontal tube furnace for ceramics annealing in air

   

   Tmax=1200^oC; operating volume: Φ=80mm, l=450mm; manufactured by Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A. in 2007

6. Equipment for depositing layers of pyrolitic carbon on ceramics rods

   

   Manufactured by Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A.

Most of our works connected with precise mechanical machining we transfer to our cooperating enterprises. Our, rather small workshop at Grabiszynska (equipped with two universal lathes, one milling machine, one grinder, one wire cutter, one borer, a cabin for stream and grind processing with small glass balls, hydraulic press 10t etc.), is limited to fast manufacturing of model or prototype components.

An industrial sandblast machine is used for preliminary cleaning of some elements – as abrasive small balls with suitable granulation are used. This process is used particularly for cleaning ceramics and metal isolators to decrease leakage conductance from the ceramics surface.
Tube elements are washed, cleaned and etched many times in two chemical laboratories. Plating and electroplating is performed in these laboratories. Depending on application thin layers of copper, nickel and silver are deposited on steel, iron, molybdenum, copper, nickel alloys, copper alloys etc.

Well-known methods of joining of various materials and joining ceramics with metal are used during manufacturing of tubes.
For precision soldering two plasma welders and a laser welder (for continuous and pulse work) are used.
Soldering with solder with melting point of 1078^oC (copper solder) is performed in vacuum or hydrogen furnaces.
Some not too big tube elements are soldered in vacuum using inductive method where they are heated only joined sections and remaining parts are outside of the heating zone. This set up was constructed (microprocessor controlled) in the Wroclaw Division of PIT-RADWAR S.A.
Development of our own technology for joining ceramics with metal allows us to produce isolators to satisfy our needs.
All joints, which should be vacuum-tight, are tested using a helium detector of leakages with sensitivity of 10^-12Pa*m³/s.

Vacuum processing is mainly removing of gases from the tube inside and its inside elements. The effective process of degassing may be performed in high temperature only so the tubes are heated in vacuum furnaces equipped with turbo-molecular and iono-absorptive pumps. Pressure in heated lamps reaches a level of several times 10^-9hPa.