Contents
  • History
  • Products
  • Custom Assemblies
  • Customer Services
  • Manufacturing Capabilities
  • Precision Machining
  • The Power of the Press
  • The Welder's Art
  • Cleanliness
  • Heat Treating
  • Quality Control

  • Company History - The Quality Leader
    Standard Bellows Company was incorporated in 1962 with the goal of becoming the leading producer of high-quality, precision welded metal bellows products. Rapid acceptance in this growing industry fueled the company's expansion in 1967 to a new headquarters in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. This 18,000 sq. ft. facility has served as a primary manufacturing site as well has home for the management, sales, and engineering offices.

    Increasing demand for Standard Bellows products, in a variety of industries, prompted a second expansion in 1990 with the acquisition of an additional 12,000 sq. ft. facility in Ormond Beach, Florida.

    Standard Bellows has earned a reputation as the quality leader in a very competitive marketplace, by maintaining the highest quality manufacturing standards for over 40 years. Remaining dedicated to its original goal, Standard Bellows continues to build upon and enhance this reputation by providing only the finest quality welded bellows assemblies.

    Back to Contents

    Welded Bellows for Every Application
    SBC supplies precision welded metal bellows to meet the specific application requirements of numerous high vacuum industries. Typical applications include pressure sensors, volume compensators, torque couplings, vacuum connectors and manipulators, and mechanical seals.

    The versatility of Standard Bellows products comes, in part, from the wide range of sizes and materials available. A variety of metals, including 300 series, 400 series and AM350 Stainless Steels, as well as Monels, Inconels and Hastelloy alloys can be specified. Sizes range from .125 to 14.000 inches in outside diameter, with material thickness from .001 inches and greater.

    Standard Bellows can provide welded bellows assemblies for nearly any application. For conventional design applications, a large selection of stock bellows assemblies are available for quick delivery. See our Stock Bellows page for complete ordering information.

    Back to Contents

    Custom Assemblies Engineered to Your Performance Specifications
    Standard Bellows specializes in providing innovative solutions for the most demanding bellows applications. Our experienced engineering staff is dedicated solely to the design, development, and manufacture of welded bellows products. Drawing upon year of experience serving numerous industries, we can provide comprehensive assistance in every aspect of product development - from theoretical analysis, design, and material selection to manufacturing, evaluation and testing.

    Standard Bellows engineers have the expertise to find the most effective and economical solutions for virtually any welded bellows application - and the commitment to ensure your complete satisfaction.

    Contact Us.

    Back to Contents

    Comprehensive Customer Services
    When you place an order with Standard Bellows, all the advantages of dealing directly with a full-service manufacturer become yours. Our sales personnel and engineering staff are available to assist with any project requirement, from the selection of basic stock items to the design and manufacture of complex custom assemblies. These services do not end when the parts leave our plant. SBC offers a full range of continuing customer support and consultation services designed to provide ongoing applications assistance.

    Back to Contents

    Total Manufacturing Capability :
    The Key to Superior Product Quality

    Precision Hardware Begins with Precision Machining

    Standard Bellows maintains a fully equipped, modern machine shop dedicated exclusively to the production of precision hardware for bellows assemblies. Utilizing the latest manual and CNC machine tools, our skilled operators and programmers are able to economically product finely crafted prototypes as well as precision production parts. Because all machining functions are performed in-house, Standard bellows is able to maintain tight quality control on material selection and dimensional tolerances. The result is a superior end product.

    Independence from outside supplier also helps reduce manufacturing lead time, enabling Standard Bellows to offer customers faster turnaround and single-source convenience.

    Back to Contents

    The Power of the Press
    Standard Bellows used high-tonnage metal stamping presses to produce diaphragms that conform to the exacting tolerances required for precision bellows assemblies. These presses are also capable of stamping and flaring heavier materials to form end plates and fittings, thus reducing the need for costly machine-tooled components. All stamped metal components used in Standard Bellows products are made in-house to insure the most cost-effective manufacturing methods, while maintaining the strictest quality control standards.

    Back to Contents

    The Welder's Art
    The joining process is critical in the manufacture of welded bellows; for this reason, Standard Bellows maintains a state of the art welding facility. Production welding is typically performed using the Tungsten Inert Gas method (TIG), a process which results in bright, contaminate free welds.

    All welders are certified to Mil-STD-1595A and our own "S-1200" specifications. Welding is performed in a clean environment, on precision fixtured welding machines equipped with modern pulsed power plants. An industrial laser is also on premises, available for special applications. This combination of sophisticated equipment an experienced personnel results in consistently durable, leak tight welds in all assemblies.

    Back to Contents

    Cleanliness is a Vital Component of Product Quality
    Strict attention to component cleanliness has helped make Standard Bellows a leading supplier of bellows assemblies for ultra high vacuum applications. Metal parts for general high vacuum applications are routinely cleaned to meet SBC IV and S-1200 specifications. However, even more stringent specifications can be followed on request. Our metal preparation department is fully staffed an equipped to perform the rigorous cleaning procedures required for all the types of sensitive applications.

    Back to Contents

    Heat Treating for Enhanced Strength and Performance
    High temperature processing is a critical manufacturing procedure. Precision heat treatment, annealing, and brazing of metal components is often used to enhance product performance. At Standard Bellows, all heat treating operations are performed in a vacuum or inert gas atmosphere to ensure bright, contaminant free assemblies. Performing these operations in-house helps us meet tight production schedules while keeping a closer eye on the quality of the finished product.

    Back to Contents

    At Standard Bellows, Quality is Every Employee's Responsibility
    Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction, and the Quality Control Department works closely with each employee in every department to ensure our quality standards are strictly enforced on all levels.

    Quality control procedures at SBC conform to Mil-I-45208 and Mil-STD-45662. Provisions of Mil-Q-9858 are also enforced when specified. Special arrangements can be made to accommodate any additional customer quality specifications. Our goal is to ship only defect free products that fully conform to each customer's quality requirements.

    To help ensure defect free products, leak testing is performed during manufacturing and after final assembly of all bellows. Assemblies are 100% leak tested on helium mass spectrometers prior to shipment. Certification is typically for a leak rate of less than 2 x 10 -9 Std. cc/Sec. He. However, leak rates of less than 1 x 10 -11 Std. cc/Sec. He can be certified on special request.

    An extensive metallurgical laboratory is also available to augment our other quality control assessments. Verification of various material properties and characteristics such as diaphragm shape, thickness, and micro hardness, can be performed are required. In addition, samples of weldments are routinely taken for metallurgical analysis to confirm the integrity of welded assemblies. Cycle life testing of assemblies, under simulated operating conditions, is also carried out in this laboratory.

    Quality is a major priority at Standard Bellows Company. In fact, we have built our reputation on it. From the very first order, you will appreciate the superior quality and attention to detail that is the hallmark of every Standard Bellows product.

    Back to Contents
    Copyright © 2004-1997 Standard Bellows Company