Air Tables & Faraday Cages

Overview

FEATURES

• Provides a stable, level base for your experimental setup
• Active air suspension maintains leveling
• Vertical and horizontal vibration isolation
• Available with metric or imperial tapped hole pattern
• Optional Faraday cage for low-noise electrophysiology applications
• Optional casters facilitate relocation and cleanup after a spill
• Optional accessories to meet your individual needs

Physiological experiments, such as electrophysiological recordings and imaging experiments, are susceptible to environmental factors that introduce noise to the signals. Predominant noise sources are mechanical vibrations and, in the case of electrophysiology, electromagnetic interference (EMI). The cleanest way of dealing with noise of any modality is to avoid it at the source rather than attempting to remove it from a noisy signal after the fact. This strategy avoids the risk of introducing filter artifacts or other unwanted effects. Air tables and Faraday cages are proven ways to eliminate noise caused by vibration and electromagnetic fields, respectively. WPI Instrument now offers a series of vibration isolation tables from TMC Vibration Control with feature sets tailored for scientists who perform electrophysiological recordings, including patch clamp, microinjections, or imaging experiments that require the utmost stability.

Each air table comes with a state-of-the-art stainless steel, magnetic breadboard tabletop in either metric (M6 tapped holes on 25 mm centers) or imperial (¼-20 tapped holes on 1” centers) versions. Custom configurations and additional options are available on request. Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

Electrophysiology and Microinjection Workstations

Patch clamp and other electrophysiological techniques share the same requirements for vibration isolation with most microinjection techniques. The AT-3036 Air Table will meet the needs of most electrophysiology and microinjection applications, providing excellent vibration isolation across the entire relevant spectrum. A perimeter enclosure prevents one from accidentally pushing the tabletop and carries a practical sliding shelf just above the work surface for easy access to control devices. Optional padded armrests conveniently attach to the front guardrail and provide support for the researcher who prefers using the eyepieces of the microscope over camera-and-monitor operation. If more space is required, e.g., if voluminous imaging equipment needs to be installed for combined patch clamp and imaging experiments, the AT-3648 Air Table offers additional room for these complex applications.

Options and Accessories

A set of retractable casters helps move the table during relocation or facilitates clean-up in the event of a spill. For most electrophysiology applications, the Faraday cage with wire mesh roll-up door is strongly recommended. An optional overhead U-shaped rear shelf is available for the cage to accommodate the components of a gravity perfusion setup or to provide storage for items that need to be easily accessible during the experiment.

Optical Tables

Imaging experiments, such as two-photon microscopy using Sutter’s MOM™ Moveable Objective Microscope®, typically require larger vibration isolation tables, but rarely need electromagnetic shielding. Three configurations of optical tables are available for these types of experiments: the models AT-48, AT-58 and AT-510. Each version is available as a stand-alone table or with casters.

Applications

• Electrophysiology
• Cellular and subcellular microinjection
• Photomicroscopy
• Videomicroscopy

STANDARD AIR TABLES

AT-3036
 30 in x 36 in x 2 in thick (75 cm x 90 cm x 5 cm thick) table top, perimeter enclosure, and sliding side shelf

AT-3036-ST 30 x 36 in Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top
AT-3036-M6 30 x 36 in Air Table, M6 threaded top
AT-3036-ST-F 30 x 36 in Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top, Faraday cage with roll-up door
AT-3036-M6-F 30 x 36 in Air Table, M6 threaded top, Faraday cage with roll-up door

AT-3648
 36 in x 48 in x 2 in thick (90 cm x 120 cm x 5 cm thick) table top, perimeter enclosure, and sliding side shelf

AT-3648-ST 36 x 48 in Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top
AT-3648-M6 36 x 48 in Air Table, M6 threaded top
AT-3648-ST-F 36 x 48 in Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top, Faraday cage with roll-up door
AT-3648-M6-F 36 x 48 in Air Table, M6 threaded top, Faraday cage with roll-up door

OPTICAL AIR TABLES

AT-48
 4 ft x 8 ft x 8 in thick (122 cm x 244 cm x 20 cm thick) table top and legs

AT-48-ST 4 x 8 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top
AT-48-M6 4 x 8 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top
AT-48-ST-C 4 x 8 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top, leg braces, and casters
AT-48-M6-C 4 x 8 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top, leg braces, and casters

AT-58
 5 ft x 8 ft x 8 in thick (152 cm x 244 cm x 20 cm thick) table top and legs

AT-58-ST 5 x 8 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top
AT-58-M6 5 x 8 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top
AT-58-ST-C 5 x 8 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top, leg braces, and casters
AT-58-M6-C 5 x 8 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top, leg braces, and casters

AT-510
 5 ft x 10 ft x 8 in thick (152 cm x 305 cm x 20 cm thick) table top and legs

AT-510-ST 5 x 10 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top
AT-510-M6 5 x 10 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top
AT-510-ST-C 5 x 10 ft Air Table, ¼-20 threaded top, leg braces, and casters
AT-510-M6-C 5 x 10 ft Air Table, M6 threaded top, leg braces, and casters

ACCESSORIES

FOR ALL AIR TABLES

AT-ARM Padded arm rests - qty 2
AT-CASTER Casters for non-optical air tables (set of 4)
AT-COMP-110 Air compressor - 110V, 60 Hz
AT-COMP-220 Air compressor - 220V, 50 Hz

FOR AT-3036 30 X 36 IN AIR TABLE

AT-30-OSF U-shaped shelf (for Faraday cage)
AT-30-FC¹ Faraday cage

FOR AT-3648 36 X 48 IN AIR TABLE

AT-36-OSF U-shaped shelf (for Faraday cage)
AT-36-FC¹ Faraday cage

1 Must use with perimeter enclosure (included in metric or imperial AT-3036 or AT-3648. Phone us for information on options or configurations.

FARADAY CAGES - BENCH TOP

Stand-alone cage with stainless steel base plate. Breadboards with threaded or tapped holes sold separately. Cages with cut-out bedplates available upon request

AT-3036-FCB Faraday Cage, 30 x 36 in solid stainless steel
AT-3048-FCB Faraday Cage, 30 x 48 in solid stainless steel
AT-3648-FCB Faraday Cage, 36 x 48 in solid stainless steel
AT-MOUNT-ST Mounting kit for stand-alone cage - imperial
AT-MOUNT-M6 Mounting kit for stand-alone cage - metric

Specifications

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

All Air Tables come with a state-of-the-art stainless, magnetic breadboard tabletop in either metric (M6 tapped holes on 25 mm centers) or imperial (¼-20 on 1 inch centers) versions.

Custom sizes, configurations, or additional options are available upon request. Please contact WPI for details.

PATCH CLAMP | ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY | MICROINJECTION AIR TABLES
	Model AT-3036	Model AT-3648
Dimensions1	36 in x 30 in x 28.5 in 91 cm x 76 cm x 72 cm	48 in x 36 in x 28.5 in 122 cm x 91 cm x 72 cm
Load Capacity2	500 lbs / 227 kg	700 lbs / 318 kg
Table Thickness	2 in / 5 cm	2 in / 5 cm
Table Construction	Honeycomb core with magnetic, stainless steel top layer
Table Hole Pattern3	M6 on 25 mm centers or ¼-20 on 1 inch centers
Faraday Height	40 in / 102 cm	40 in / 102 cm
Faraday Cage Cable Pass-through	Three circular openings with diameters of 2 in / 5 cm
Sliding Shelf Width	8 in / 20 cm	8 in / 20 cm

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IMAGING | OPTICAL AIR TABLES
	Model AT-48	Model AT-58	Model AT-510
Dimensions1	96 in x 48 in x 36 in 244 cm x 122 cm x 91 cm	96 in x 59 in x 36 in 244 cm x 150 cm x 91 cm	120 in x 59 in x 36 in 305 cm x 150 cm x 91 cm
Load Capacity2	1500 lbs / 680 kg	1300 lbs / 590 kg	1200 lbs / 544 kg
Table Thickness	8 in / 20 cm	8 in / 20 cm	8 in / 20 cm
Table Construction	Plated steel honeycomb core
Table Hole Pattern3	M6 on 25mm centers or ¼-20 on 1in centers

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AIR SUPPLY
Source	Compressor (Sutter AT-COMP-xxx or equivalent), house air or air cylinder
Pressure	> 30 psi - max. 80 psi, depending on payload
Quality	Dry, oil-free (in-line filter comes installed)
Fittings	1/4 inch press-lock (quick-fit), or threading for 1/8 or 1/4 inch NPT fittings (adapters included)

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¹ Length x width x height. Height to top of table surface.
² A high center of gravity may reduce the load capacity
³ Smooth top layer available on request

Accessories

Citations

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