TMC CleanTop Optical Breadboards

CleanTop® steel optical breadboards provide exceptional rigidity and damping for smaller tops. Available in both 2 and 4 inch thicknesses, these tops have the same high-performance CleanTop structure as our large optical tables.

Three performance levels available, as well as a large variety of customization options.

• 78 Series
  Provides the ultimate in rigidity and damping for smaller tops. Recommended for the most demanding breadboard applications.
• 77 Series
  Slightly thinner top skin than 78 series resulting in slightly lower rigidity and damping but at lower cost and weight.
• 75 Lightweight Series
  Minimizes both weight and cost. These breadboards have relatively high levels of rigidity, as they utilize our standard steel core, however, with their thin top and bottom skins, they cannot have the rigidity and damping properties of the 78 and 77 series. They are ideal when light loads are anticipated and low weight and/or cost are the most crucial factors. The weight savings – 50% less than the 78 Series Breadboard.

TMC's steel breadboards can be readily designed to meet custom requirements including custom mounting hole patterns, through-holes, special shapes and custom materials.

TMC's CleanTop Optical Top is the best method yet for providing a spill-proof, clean, precise, and corrosion resistant optical top with unmatched structural performance. CleanTop is now a standard feature of all TMC optical tops.

Individual CleanTop cups are epoxy-bonded under each tapped hole after it is tapped and cleaned. Cups are made from chemically resistant nylon 6, and stainless steel (304 alloy) cups are available. Holes are now tapped and countersunk prior to adding the cups to allow the machined top sheet to be thoroughly cleaned with open, rather than blind, holes prior to bonding. The top plate is processed through a custom TMC industrial cleaning center where a high pressure, high temperature cleaning solution is forced through each threaded hole, completely clearing any machining or tapping debris. Several rinse and dry cycles ensure an essentially "sterilized" top surface prior to bonding the cups.

CleanTop represents another innovation in TMC's long optical top tradition of industry "firsts" including:

• First spill-proof optical top (CleanTop) 
• First all-steel optical top 
• First oil-free optical top 
• First honeycomb core registered  to the tapped hole array
• First lightweight breadboard with formed rather than drilled holes
• First vacuum compatible optical top

Features:

• Liquid spills on the surface are contained and cannot reach the top's honeycomb core.
• The core is completely clean and dry with no residual thread-cutting oils to out-gas.
• Extremely clean tapped holes make screw insertion smooth and simple.
• Easy retrieval of small parts dropped into the holes is assured.
• Since no penetration of the core is possible when dangerous chemicals are used on the top's surface, health hazards will not occur by chemicals reaching the core unnoticed.