How Bluefors and Swagelok Support Quantum Computing and Experimental Physics
Bluefors, Ltd. is helping advance the frontiers of quantum computing and experimental physics through innovative cryogen-free dilution refrigeration systems. These highly specialized systems rely on precise temperature control, reliable performance, and leak-tight helium handling to support groundbreaking research. In this customer success story, learn how Bluefors partners with Swagelok to maintain system reliability, optimize production, and support rapid growth. Discover how Swagelok's engineering expertise, leak-tight fittings and valves, inventory management capabilities, and technical support help Bluefors deliver the high-performance cryogenic systems researchers depend on for long-term experiments, scientific discovery, and next-generation quantum computing applications.
Video Transcript
A cryogen-free dilution refrigerator is a system that you can use to go to almost absolute zero temperature. Our product is a dilution fridge based on recirculating helium-3. We have two closed helium loops: one for the pre-cooling stage and one for the dilution fridge stage. They are both closed loops, and that preserves the global helium supply.
The lower you go in temperature, the more specialized knowledge you need to have to do this sort of business. This is really a research tool in experimental physics or for quantum computing companies that use our tools.
Bluefors products have a subsystem called a high-pressure panel, which is actually recirculating helium used to create this ultracold temperature.
For our customers, it is very important to have a reliable system. Sometimes, it takes months to tune the system at this low temperature. You cool it down, have your system in a stable state, and then start tuning the parameters. If you have to stop for whatever reason and warm up, even to the slightest temperature, you have to redo the whole tuning again. That can take months of time for the customer, and sometimes customers really want to be cold for more than a year.
The place where we have pure helium-3 at high pressures is done with components with metal gaskets, and all that comes from Swagelok. Swagelok has been the standard fitting that you use in the places where you want extreme leak tightness.
Swagelok parts play an essential role because they are the ones that actually contain the helium-3. So the leak tightness is very important in this part. If any leak would appear, the system would just halt to a stop.
We will see tremendous growth in production, and that is why we have made this huge cryohall to supply this growth. We did more in the last two years than we did in the previous eight years of the company. Not everybody can fit or grow along with a company that is growing that fast, and trust in the supplier is very important.
It is very good to know in advance when we will get the items so our production will be ongoing and there will be no delays. I think it would cause a big problem if you could not get the items on time because production would stop, and we would not be able to deliver to our customers on time. That is why Swagelok is a very good supplier for us. We have a different level of inventory specially reserved for Bluefors in our warehouse instead of having it all here at the Bluefors warehouse. Today, they have much better inventory control with their new automated warehousing.
Swagelok supports the Bluefors engineering team in multiple ways. One has been the technical knowledge that we have to create the high-pressure panel, for example, as small as possible and isolate the high-pressure panel electrically away from the computing system. We were able to cut down some of the electronic noise with our dielectric fittings.
I believe that scientific growth will help humanity. I think what we do is provide solutions for scientists so they can do their frontier work on new discoveries. Our customers trust our systems to work flawlessly, and that is why we need to put the highest-quality components inside.
I trust Swagelok because the parts in the system are so important. We do not want to make any sort of compromises on quality, and Swagelok supports that.
