Pfeiffer Vacuum Celebrates 125 Years

It was in 1890 that Arthur Pfeiffer founded the company in Wetzlar, Germany and established it as a key player in manufacturing gas lamp lighters. With the global advance of electric light bulbs, manufacturing took a new turn based on this innovative lighting technology and the vacuum solutions associated with this technology. Over the years, the company founder recognized the growing importance of vacuum technology for the various sectors of industry and research and shifted the focus of his company’s activities accordingly.

In the years that followed, Pfeiffer Vacuum played a decisive role in shaping vacuum technology. The major milestone was the invention of the turbopump in 1958. It revolutionized the industry, since it was the first pump ever to generate oil-free vacuum – the key at the time for opening up extensive new applications.

As modern technologies progressed, and advances were made in research and development, applications using vacuum became more diverse and sophisticated. Pfeiffer Vacuum‘s operations became increasingly broad-based, and the company established itself with its acquisition of adixen Vacuum Products and Trinos Vakuum-Systeme in 2010 as a one-stop supplier of complete vacuum solutions. The company’s portfolio today spans not only vacuum pumps and leak detectors but also measurement instruments and analysis equipment, and encompasses both complete systems and wide-ranging service options as well as consultation services.

Launched right on time for the anniversary year, Pfeiffer Vacuum is presenting a range of new products together with a new online experience showcasing its vacuum Solutions.

Pfeiffer Vacuum products are used in manufacturing processes to make a wide range of essential everyday products. Vacuum technology is present everywhere in our daily lives – a fact which often goes unnoticed by consumers.

Eyeglass lenses are just one example of objects that are coated in a vacuum. Indispensable tools for this process are backing pumps, turbopumps, leak detectors, and measurement instruments made by Pfeiffer Vacuum. The coated lenses are protected from scratches and dirt and provide clear vision and antireflection properties.

Pfeiffer Vacuum solutions play a crucial part in food production, too. Without them, vacuum freeze-dried products such as instant coffee or powdered milk could not be manufactured. Vacuum coated chip packets and other food packaging would not be possible – and food would have a much shorter shelf life.

Smartphones, tablets and PCs would not work without memory chips produced under vacuum conditions in a cleanroom. Cars would not have safe airbags, rims, tanks, or air conditioning hoses, since all of these objects are tested for leaks using vacuum systems and helium leak detectors.

To continue to optimize those essential comforts and little extras that make our everyday life so convenient, Pfeiffer Vacuum is full of new ideas for new products and developments aimed at making a better future.