The Picco Pump

The AEROMAT series pumps offer a range of advantages over other types of diaphragm pumps. For one thing, KNF manages to increase diaphragm service life – the greatest weakness of diaphragm pumps at the time. This series of pump aligns the connecting rod with the inner contour of the pump head in such a way that it reduces the mechanical stress on the diaphragm and increases its service life from 1,000 operating hours to over 3,000. In addition, the vacuum is improved and the previous maximum pressure of 400 mbar is brought down to 300 mbar. But this introduces a new problem. The valves which have previously been controlled by differences in pressure no longer react as reliably under these lower pressure conditions. Ultimately, the solution to this problem results in KNF’s first patent. The intake hole is moved from the center of the pump chamber to the edge, enabling the diaphragm to seal the valves from the inside out.

The AEROMAT pump series is based on these advancements in engineering, and it is these pumps that Erich Becker tries to sell to Germany’s laboratory equipment distributors in the 1960s. However, his efforts initially meet with only moderate success. He soon finds out that his pumps would have to reach a maximum pressure of around 20 mbar to stand a chance of replacing the commonplace water jet pumps used in laboratories at the time to create a vacuum. Thus, he begins tinkering with a new test series which results in the NK 25 – the Picco pump. This pump retains all the advantages offered by the AEROMAT series, but it also manages to transfer 20 liters per minute and reach an ultimate vacuum of 20 mbar. KNF achieves this feat by connecting two AL 17 pump heads in series. The Picco pump is a great success. KNF has finally broken into the laboratory sector and made a name for itself.