MDC ConFlat Stainless Steel Vacuum Manifold w/ Ceramic Spacers 4-Drop 22in

MDC ConFlat Stainless Steel Vacuum Manifold w/ Ceramic Spacers 4-Drop 22in

This MDC ConFlat stainless steel vacuum manifold is a custom multi-port vacuum distribution assembly designed for ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems. It consists of a horizontal stainless steel main tube with four vertical drop-off assemblies, each incorporating white ceramic spacer sections that provide electrical isolation between the upper and lower ConFlat flanges. An end-cap ConFlat flange with six threaded holes provides additional port access at one end of the main tube.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: MDC (MDC MFG — engraved on flange)
• Flange type: ConFlat (CF) — standard knife-edge copper gasket seal
• Material: Stainless steel tube and flanges
• SS pipe inner diameter: 5/8 in
• SS pipe outer diameter: 3/4 in
• SS pipe sections: 2
• Number of vertical drop assemblies: 4
• Ceramic spacer + attached flange assembly length: 3 5/8 in
• ConFlat blanks included: 6
• Threaded holes per end flange: 6 (center-to-center spacing: 1 hole)
• Overall assembled dimensions: 22 × 6.5 × 1.5 in
• Ceramic spacers: white, electrically insulating, visible between ConFlat flanges on each drop
• Copper gasket seats visible on open ConFlat flange faces
• Hardware: knurled thumb screws / hex cap screws on flanges (brass-toned)

Applications

ConFlat (CF) flange vacuum manifolds like this MDC assembly are used in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and high-vacuum systems found in semiconductor research, surface science, thin-film deposition, electron beam equipment, and particle physics labs. The ConFlat knife-edge design — which bites into a soft copper gasket to form a metal-to-metal seal — is the standard for UHV applications requiring base pressures in the 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻¹¹ Torr range, where elastomer o-ring seals are not sufficient. The ceramic spacer sections on each drop assembly serve as electrical isolators, separating the upper and lower flanges to prevent ground loops or allow biasing of components connected below — a common requirement when feedthroughs carry electrical signals or high voltage into the vacuum environment. MDC Vacuum Products (now part of Agilent/Kurt J. Lesker ecosystem) has been a leading supplier of UHV hardware since the 1970s, and their ConFlat components are widely used in research institutions, national labs, and semiconductor tool manufacturers worldwide. This type of manifold allows multiple vacuum ports or instrumentation feedthroughs to branch off a single main vacuum line.