Can somebody please tell me what the “Alpha Cryogenic Process” is? How is it different from ordinary cryogenic processing?
Bernd Ahne, HiFi-Tuning
2 Comments
From Sam Lingo, U.S. Cryogenics
January 6, 2010
I am not specifically familiar with this “Alpha” process. From what I can tell it involves using a similar (to that of “cryogenic treatment”) thermal profile in an atmosphere comprised of an inert gas.
It also claims to be a patented process—patent owned by a “Sekiguchi Machine Sale Co., Ltd.” in Japan—but, after a brief search, I can find no reference to a similar patent owned by such a company or individual in either the USPTO or Japan’s Patent Office (using search terms such as the portions of as well as the entire company name, e.g., “Sekiguchi Machine”). As a side note, the idea of patenting a process in this industry is always an interesting subject because there’s always difficulty proving who used the process first. This email is a case in point since I am aware of several cryogenic treatment providers who use nitrogen gas or other inert gases to vacate the air in the chamber prior to the actual treatment process.
That being said, it appears that the Shunyata and Furutech companies are licensing the process from this Sekiguchi Machine Sale Co, Ltd in Japan.
I cannot find the connection between this “alpha process” used by the first two companies and the valves/couplings that Alpha Process Controls International (www.alphaprocess.co.uk) provides—I think, perhaps, the two are unrelated.
For what it’s worth, the processor in the picture on the Shunyata link appears to be very similar to (if not the same as) the processor used by NitroFreeze aka Cryogenic Institute of New England.
To conclude my ramblings, I can’t say for certain whether this is a legitimate process or not, i.e., distinctly different from what I know to be commercially available in the industry. I was unable to find the actual patent that the process references and, if I understand it correctly, the process is already being used in the industry to counteract possible issues with surface rust or condensation on the parts at the end of a thermal profile.
The principle of cryogenic treatment to modify material properties is real and well understood. The application to electrical and audio products is also widely deployed.
The notion of creating an atmosphere that is modified to produce an “ideal” environment (or atmosphere) relates to some claims that certain impurities in atmosphere will impregnate the copper, e.g., and contaminate it. I would call this speculative at best. To me, it is a claim to solve a problem that is not known or proven to exist in the first place. In other words, there is no reason to believe that such an atmosphere provides a tangible benefit.
Further, cryogenic treatment by definition occurs in an inert atmosphere of pure nitrogen. So I really find this concept of “creating an ideal atmosphere” to be more marketing hyperbole than having true scientific merit. Having said that, I can’t imagine that such a modified atmosphere produces any negative effects, either.
There is nothing in the web sites that I read that is in fact revolutionary or new. Most conventional and reputable cryogenic treatment providers perform cryogenic treatment following similar principles. For many, the concept of cryogenic treatment to modify material properties is “new and revolutionary.” In the grand scheme of things, it is new, having really only emerged in the most recent decades. But within the framework of cryogenic treatment as we and others practice it today, there is nothing technically extraordinary that is disclosed within the websites.
Again, cryogenic treatment to modify material properties and promote transformations can be called “new” and “revolutionary.” But it is a scientific phenomena based on fundamental principles of physics that has been successfully used and studied for over 20 years. So it depends on who you are talking to when you use such terms and the context of what you mean when you use them.
2 Comments
From Sam Lingo, U.S. Cryogenics
January 6, 2010I am not specifically familiar with this “Alpha” process. From what I can tell it involves using a similar (to that of “cryogenic treatment”) thermal profile in an atmosphere comprised of an inert gas.
It also claims to be a patented process—patent owned by a “Sekiguchi Machine Sale Co., Ltd.” in Japan—but, after a brief search, I can find no reference to a similar patent owned by such a company or individual in either the USPTO or Japan’s Patent Office (using search terms such as the portions of as well as the entire company name, e.g., “Sekiguchi Machine”). As a side note, the idea of patenting a process in this industry is always an interesting subject because there’s always difficulty proving who used the process first. This email is a case in point since I am aware of several cryogenic treatment providers who use nitrogen gas or other inert gases to vacate the air in the chamber prior to the actual treatment process.
That being said, it appears that the Shunyata and Furutech companies are licensing the process from this Sekiguchi Machine Sale Co, Ltd in Japan.
I cannot find the connection between this “alpha process” used by the first two companies and the valves/couplings that Alpha Process Controls International (www.alphaprocess.co.uk) provides—I think, perhaps, the two are unrelated.
For what it’s worth, the processor in the picture on the Shunyata link appears to be very similar to (if not the same as) the processor used by NitroFreeze aka Cryogenic Institute of New England.
To conclude my ramblings, I can’t say for certain whether this is a legitimate process or not, i.e., distinctly different from what I know to be commercially available in the industry. I was unable to find the actual patent that the process references and, if I understand it correctly, the process is already being used in the industry to counteract possible issues with surface rust or condensation on the parts at the end of a thermal profile.
Robin Rhodes, Cryogenic Institute of New England
January 6, 2010The principle of cryogenic treatment to modify material properties is real and well understood. The application to electrical and audio products is also widely deployed.
The notion of creating an atmosphere that is modified to produce an “ideal” environment (or atmosphere) relates to some claims that certain impurities in atmosphere will impregnate the copper, e.g., and contaminate it. I would call this speculative at best. To me, it is a claim to solve a problem that is not known or proven to exist in the first place. In other words, there is no reason to believe that such an atmosphere provides a tangible benefit.
Further, cryogenic treatment by definition occurs in an inert atmosphere of pure nitrogen. So I really find this concept of “creating an ideal atmosphere” to be more marketing hyperbole than having true scientific merit. Having said that, I can’t imagine that such a modified atmosphere produces any negative effects, either.
There is nothing in the web sites that I read that is in fact revolutionary or new. Most conventional and reputable cryogenic treatment providers perform cryogenic treatment following similar principles. For many, the concept of cryogenic treatment to modify material properties is “new and revolutionary.” In the grand scheme of things, it is new, having really only emerged in the most recent decades. But within the framework of cryogenic treatment as we and others practice it today, there is nothing technically extraordinary that is disclosed within the websites.
Again, cryogenic treatment to modify material properties and promote transformations can be called “new” and “revolutionary.” But it is a scientific phenomena based on fundamental principles of physics that has been successfully used and studied for over 20 years. So it depends on who you are talking to when you use such terms and the context of what you mean when you use them.