Cologne, January 2020 – Vacuum technology specialist, Leybold, has developed two new online tools to assist customer’s pump choice and layout of complete vacuum systems: The Pump Finder and the calculation tool LEYCALC. With these new web-based tools, users can select and build their vacuum solutions online. They are designed to be used for two different use cases: The homepage https://calc.leybold.com/en/lp leads to both the Pump Finder and LEYCALC, the vacuum system calculation tool. Users with vacuum know-how can use LEYCALC to calculate the behavior and performance of vacuum systems in detail. The Pump Finder guides even beginners to suitable products by a questionnaire. 
Step by step to the right offer
The Pump Finder is designed to navigate vacuum users step-by-step to find the ideal pump for their application. Throughout the selection tool, pumps can be refined by entering values for chamber size, target pressure and pipe dimensions. There are two calculation options for modelling different vacuum applications: process flow and vacuum chamber pump down. A process gas flow is a continuous gas flow where the constant pressure is conveyed. A vacuum chamber pump down is an application where the chamber is pumped/evacuated to a specific target pressure. The result is a selection of vacuum pumps that meet the customer's requirements.
Targeted product selection
LEYCALC can be used for detailed engineering of vacuum systems using the same powerful algorithms as Leybold’s application experts. The tool allows customers to calculate their vacuum systems fully independently and for complex scenarios, the experts offer their full support. "Previously, we had to adjust parameters such as chamber size, process gases, cycle times, pipe length and pressure values during the initial contact with the customer. With the help of the simulation software, the user can independently calculate configurations and get an initial idea of the vacuum performance," explains Dr. Tom Kammermeier, Global Application Manager, Industrial Vacuum. "In the past, there were often lengthy dialogues about such details," says Kammermeier. Now users can perform their calculations independently – with the result that the entire process leads to a more targeted and faster selection of the right solutions for the application. "We expect LEYCALC to improve the contact quality with our customers," summarizes Kammermeier.
Efficient communication and fast solutions
Once the user of the online tool has defined the pump’s chamber and the target pressure, LEYCALC performs the calculation of a pump down curve: The result is immediately displayed in a diagram. This shows exactly how long it takes to pump the air out of the chamber to a defined pressure and how the pressure develops over time. Alternatively, the user can calculate the pumping speed curve of a pump system. This shows which pumping speed is provided at a certain pressure. All calculation data is stored centrally and can be called up at any time and from any device by customers who have registered. Calculation results can also be shared with specialists at Leybold. This allows a detailed discussion about the respective vacuum application. Overall, the platform leads to considerably more efficient customer communication and faster solutions in complex projects. Leybold’s vacuum experts will be happy to answer any questions regarding specific calculations in a timely fashion.
Conductivity losses immediately apparent
"In addition to the chambers and pumps of a vacuum system, the different influences of pipelines are also taken into account. These include the conductance effects in all pressure ranges and flow regimes, blocking and, of course, the volume of the lines," explains Hannes Kamecke, the IT manager responsible for the online configurator. In some cases, it then becomes apparent that a pump with higher individual performance would not improve the overall vacuum performance because the reductions are caused by an incorrectly dimensioned pipeline. "However, the diagram immediately shows that the pipe diameter needs to be increased," explains Hannes Kamecke.
Further development planned
Navigation through the web-based software solution is conveniently possible on all kind of devices like tablets, smartphones. Sections in need of explanation are linked to more detailed background information on vacuum technique. In future, LEYCALC will comprise the whole Leybold product portfolio, covering also high vacuum applications. "With the publication of the new calculation tools, Leybold makes its vacuum know-how collected over decades available to its customers and thus lays the foundation for modern digital customer communication. The offer thus represents an important building block in the digital customer experience strategy of the vacuum specialist," concludes Hannes Kameck
