Here at Indium Corporation headquarters, many of us take some time in December to catch up on cleaning and organizing our offices and lab spaces. If you’re cleaning out the lab this season, there might be some scrap you don’t want to throw away…
Many laboratories with vacuum chambers utilize cryo-pumps for evacuating air from the chamber. As the name implies, cryo-pumps are a part of the vacuum system that reach extremely low temperatures. The gaskets used to fit these pumps to other pipes in the system utilize indium wire or indium gasket preforms to seal the system – at temperatures that would make traditional gasketing materials crumble.
Indium metal used as sealing material is a consumable item. In most cases, it is good for one sealing use. Once the flanges are separated (typically for maintenance), the indium should be replaced to ensure that you have a good seal during the next fitting of the equipment. The scrap indium that is removed is still worth keeping though, since it has a decent scrap value. Once enough scrap indium is collected, it will make a great down-payment on brand new indium wire or preforms.
If you have old indium seals or scrap pieces of indium on hand, send it to us. If it meets our quantity and quality requirements it may be eligible for reclaim. More information on indium reclaim is available here or contact us directly: indiumreclaim@indium.com