Water-Cooled Breadboard

Overview
Weights & Dims
BB Selection Guide
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Specification	Imperial Boards	Metric Boards
Breadboard Specifications
Material	Aluminum Plate
Finish	Matte Black Anodized
Thickness	0.5"	12.7 mm
Flatness	±0.006" over 1 ft²	±0.15 mm over 0.3 m²
Hole Size and Spacing	1/4"-20 Tapped Holes on 1" Centers	M6 Tapped Holes on 25 mm Centers
Distance from Edge to First Hole	0.50" on All Sides	12.5 mm on All Sides
Number of Counterbored Holes^a	Four 1/4" Located at Corners - Inset 2"	Four M6 Located at Corners - Inset 50 mm
Water Channel Specifications
Pressure Rating	80 psi
Operating Temperature Range	0 to 60 °C
Push-Fit Pipe Fitting Inner Diameter	1/4"	6 mm

A 5th counterbored mounting hole placed at the center of larger boards
(imperial boards 18" or wider, metric boards 450 mm or wider).

Click for Details
Cutaway of the MBC1824 Breadboard Showing Water Channels, Fittings, and Plugs

Features

Standard Metric and Imperial Hole Patterns
Black-Anodized Surface with Low Reflectance
Working Pressure: Rated up to 80 psi
Operating Temperature Range: 0 to 60 °C
Offset Mounting Counterbores Allow a Full, Uninterrupted, Threaded Hole Matrix
Larger Breadboards Have a Fifth Centrally-Located Counterbore
- Imperial: At Least 18" Wide
- Metric: At Least 450 mm Wide

These breadboards are versions of our popular anodized aluminum breadboards that have been plumbed to accept a water supply. They feature a standard 1" (imperial) or 25 mm (metric) hole pattern and are ideal for applications involving sensors, detectors, lasers, LEDs, or other apparatuses that may require temperature stabilization. The boards can be used for cooling or heating, depending on requirements.

Each breadboard is fitted with 1/4" or 6 mm I.D. fittings for imperial and metric boards, respectively. These allow for easy connection to a water supply or chiller unit. 16' (5 m) of connection tubing is included with each breadboard and can be trimmed to suit your application. To do so, simply cut the tubing to the required length, trim the tubing edges flush, insert the tubing into the push-to-fit connectors, and connect the other end to your water supply/chiller unit.

Depending on the environmental temperature and humidity levels and the temperature of the board, condensation can form on the breadboard surface. Please see the table to the below right for guidelines on how this can be avoided.

Operating Temperature and Condensation^a
Relative Air Humidity (RH%)	Temperature Difference^b (ΔT ºC)	Relative Air Humidity (RH%)	Temperature Difference^b (ΔT ºC)
95%	1 ºC	55%	9 - 12 ºC
90%	2 ºC	50%	10 - 13 ºC
85%	2 - 3 ºC	45%	12 - 14 ºC
80%	3 - 4 ºC	40%	13 - 17 ºC
75%	4 - 5 ºC	35%	16 - 19 ºC
70%	5 - 6 ºC	30%	18 - 21 ºC
65%	6 - 8 ºC	25%	21 - 23 ºC
60%	7 - 9 ºC	20%	24 - 27 ºC

Due to the humidity of the work area, and the difference between the operating temperature of the board and the environmental temperature levels, there is a possibility that condensation may form on the breadboard surface. This table shows the approximate temperature difference between the breadboard and the environment that would cause condensation to form at a specific relative humidity.
Temperature Difference Between the Breadboard and the Environment

Each breadboard features four or five mounting holes, offset from the array of 1/4"-20 (M6) threaded holes, which are counterbored to create an uninterrupted surface for any intended application. The four standard mounting holes are located at each corner of the breadboard, inset 2" from each edge (50 mm on metric). The larger imperial and metric breadboards have a fifth counterbored mounting hole at the center of each board (imperial boards 18" or wider, metric boards 450 mm or wider). Utilizing the center mounting hole increases the mounting options available, reduces stress at the corner mounting holes, and increases rigidity when heavy loads are placed on the boards. The mounting holes may be used to attach the breadboards to optical tables, other breadboards, mounting posts, brackets, or a variety of other surfaces or mounts.

Other Breadboard Options
Optical Breadboard Enclosures are available to protect sensitive equipment from dust, stray light, acoustic noise, and thermal variations. Enclosures are offered completely sealed or with sliding door access.

Thorlabs also offers solid aluminum breadboards with a 1" hole spacing and double hole density aluminum breadboards with 1/2" offset hole spacing, doubling the density of mounting holes. These are offered in sizes ranging from 4" x 24" to 8" x 36" (100 mm x 600 mm to 200 mm x 900 mm) with thicknesses of 0.5" (12.7 mm), making their slim profile ideal for compact work areas. The same double-hole-density pattern is also available on our circular breadboards.

For limited space applications, Thorlabs offers the MS12B and MS12B/M Mini-Series Breadboards. These breadboards feature increased tapped hole density and thinner breadboard thickness.

Item #	Dimensions (L x W x H)	Unpackaged		Packaged Shipping
Item #	Dimensions (L x W x H)	Mass (kg)	Weight (lbs)	Mass (kg)^a	Weight (lbs)^a
Imperial
MBC12	12" x 12" x 0.5"	2.70	5.95	4.00	8.82
MBC1218	12" x 18" x 0.5"	4.3	9.48	4.99	11.00
MBC2412	12" x 24" x 0.5"	5.7	12.57	7.00	15.43
MBC1824	18" x 24" x 0.5"	8.6	18.96	9.98	22.00

These weights are approximate and are subject to change. The information is only to be used as a guideline.

Item #	Dimensions (L x W x H)	Unpackaged		Packaged Shipping
Item #	Dimensions (L x W x H)	Mass (kg)	Weight (lbs)	Mass (kg)^a	Weight (lbs)^a
Metric
MBC3030/M	300 mm x 300 mm x 12.7 mm	2.70	5.95	4.00	8.82
MBC3045/M	300 mm x 450 mm x 12.7 mm	4.3	9.48	4.99	11.00
MBC6030/M	300 mm x 600 mm x 12.7 mm	5.7	12.57	7.00	15.43
MBC4560/M	450 mm x 600 mm x 12.7 mm	8.6	18.96	9.98	22.00

These weights are approximate and are subject to change. The information is only to be used as a guideline.

Breadboards	Nexus, Optimized Damping	Intrinsically Damped	Aluminum Honeycomb	Stainless Steel	Solid Aluminum
Construction
Breadboard Thickness	60 mm (2.4") 110 mm (4.3")	58 mm (2.28")	25 mm (0.98") 55 mm (2.2")	12.7 mm (0.5")	7.0 mm (0.28") 9.5 mm (0.375") 12.7 mm (0.5") 19.05 mm (0.75")
Working Surface	430 Grade Stainless Steel or 304L Grade Nonmagnetic Steel Top Plate	430 Grade Stainless Steel Top Plate	Aluminum	416 Grade Stainless Steel	Solid Aluminum Anodized or Unanodized
Top Skin	5 mm (0.20")	5 mm (0.20")	6 mm (0.24")	N/A	N/A
Bottom Skin	5 mm (0.20")	3 mm (0.12")	3 mm (0.12")	N/A	N/A
Core Design	High-Density Plated Steel Honeycomb, 0.26 mm Thick		High-Density Plated Aluminum Honeycomb	N/A	N/A
Side Panels	Rigid Steel Box Section	Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (uPVC)	Black Laminated Aluminum Sides	N/A	N/A
Ferromagnetism	Magnetic or Non-Magnetic Options	Magnetic	Non-Magnetic	Magnetic	Non-Magnetic
Sealed Holes	Sealed (25 mm Depth) or Non-Sealed Options	Non-Sealed		N/A	N/A
Thread Options	1/4"-20 (M6) Tapped Holes	1/4"-20 (M6) Tapped Holes		1/4"-20 (M6) Tapped Holes	1/4"-20 (M6), 4-40 (M3), or 8-32 (M3) and 1/4"-20 (M6) Tapped Holes
Spacing	1" (25 mm) Centers	1" (25 mm) Centers		1" (25 mm) Centers	1" (25 mm) Centers or 0.5" (12.7 mm) Centers
Distance from Edge to First Holes	0.5" (12.5 mm) on all Sides		0.5" (12.5 mm) or 1.0" (25 mm) on all Sides	0.5" (12.5 mm) on all Sides	0.5" (12.5 mm) on all Sides
Performance^a
Damping				N/A	N/A
Stiffness	60 mm (2.4") Thick	58 mm (2.28") Thick	25 mm (0.98") Thick	12.7 mm (0.5") Thick	7.0 mm (0.28") Thick
Stiffness	110 mm (4.3") Thick	58 mm (2.28") Thick	55 mm (2.2") Thick	12.7 mm (0.5") Thick	19.05 mm (0.75") Thick

The damping and stiffness performance shown here is qualitative and does not relate to exact specifications of each breadboard.

Optical Breadboard Selection Guides

The selection guides below list every size offered for our honeycomb, solid aluminum, and acrylic breadboards. Simply locate the specific width and length needed and then select the type of breadboard. Expand each table by clicking the More [+] button within the header.

Thorlabs also offers several unique breadboard solutions. For applications requiring temperature control, we offer anodized aluminum water cooled breadboards in several sizes, in addition to a temperature-controlled mini-series breadboard for small-scale operations. Our anodized aluminum large-area translation stages and rotating breadboards offer hand-operated positioning control, while our manual and motorized translating mounting platforms are ideal for use in microscopy applications.

Imperial Optical Breadboard Size Options
Width	Length	Honeycomb					Stainless Steel	Solid Aluminum^a
Width	Length	Nexus (60 mm Thick)^b	Nexus (110 mm Thick)^b	Intrinsically Damped (58 mm Thick)	Aluminum (25 mm Thick)	Aluminum (55 mm Thick)	Stainless Steel	Standard	Double Density	High Density

Solid aluminum breadboards are offered with four different thicknesses: 0.5" (item # prefix MB), 0.75" (item # prefix MBH), 3/8" (item # prefix MS), or 0.28" (item # prefix MS). Select sizes are also available in hard-coat anodized aluminum (item # CMMP1818) or without an anodized coating (item #s ending with U).
Item Number Suffix:

F, A, B, or G: Non-Sealed Mounting Holes
T, L, U, or N: Sealed Mounting Holes
FN or AN: Nonmagnetic Mounting Holes
Y or Z: No Mounting Holes
S: Stainless Steel

Tapped Hole Pattern Aligned at 45°
Build-to-Order
Includes a T-Slot in Side Panels for Compatibility with 25 mm Rail Accessories
This product has an access aperture.

Metric Optical Breadboard Size Options
Width	Length	Honeycomb					Stainless Steel	Solid Aluminum^a
Width	Length	Nexus (60 mm Thick)^b	Nexus (110 mm Thick)^b	Intrinsically Damped (58 mm Thick)	Aluminum (25 mm Thick)	Aluminum (55 mm Thick)	Stainless Steel	Standard	Double Density	High Density

50 mm	75 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MSB5075/M
75 mm	100 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MSB7510/M
75 mm	150 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MSB7515/M
100 mm	100 mm	-	-	-	-	-	MB10S/M	-	-	-
100 mm	150 mm	-	-	-	-	-	MB1015S/M	MB1015/M MB1015U/M	M45B1015/M^c	MSB1015/M
100 mm	300 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1030/M	-	-
100 mm	600 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1060/M	-
100 mm	900 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1090/M	-
Ø149 mm		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MBR150U/M	-
Ø150 mm		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MBR150/M	-
150 mm	150 mm	-	-	-	-	-	MB15S/M	MB1515/M MB1515U/M	M45B1515/M^c	MSB15/M
150 mm	300 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1530F/M	MB1530/M M45B1530/M^c	-
150 mm	450 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1545/M	-	-
150 mm	600 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1560/M	-	-
150 mm	900 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB1590/M	-	-
150 mm	1200 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB15120/M	-	-
180 mm	230 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MSB1823/M MSBU1823/M
200 mm	200 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB2020/M MB2020U/M	-	-
200 mm	250 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB2025/M	-	-
200 mm	600 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB2060/M	-
200 mm	900 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB2090/M	-
250 mm	300 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB2530/M MB2530U/M	-	-
Ø300 mm		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	MBR300/M MBR300U/M	-
300 mm	300 mm	B3030A^d B3030L^d	-	-	PBG3030A^e	-	-	MB3030/M MB3030U/M	MB3030D/M	MS12B/M MSB30/M
300 mm	450 mm	B3045A^d B3045L^d	-	B3045AX	PBG3045A^e	-	-	MB3045/M MB3045A/M^f MB3045U/M	-	MSB3045/M
300 mm	600 mm	B3060A^d B3060L	-	B3060AX^d	PBG3060A	PBG52502^d	-	MB3060/M MB3060U/M	-	-
300 mm	900 mm	B3090A^d B3090L^d	-	-	PBG3090A^e	PBG52503^d	-	MB3090/M	-	-
300 mm	1200 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB30120/M	-	-
350 mm	1150 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB35115/M	-	-
350 mm	1425 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB35142/M	-	-
450 mm	450 mm	B4545A^d B4545L^d	-	-	PBG4545A	-	-	MB4545/M	-	-
450 mm	600 mm	B4560A^d B4560L^d	-	B4560AX^d	PBG4560A^e	PBG52522^d	-	MB4560/M MB4560A/M^f MB4560U/M	-	-
450 mm	750 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB4575/M	-	-
450 mm	900 mm	-	-	-	-	-	-	MB4590/M	-	-
600 mm	600 mm	B6060A^d B6060L	-	B6060AX^d	PBG6060A^e	PBG52505^d	-	MB6060/M	-
600 mm	900 mm	B6090A B6090L B6090AN^d B6090Z	B6090B^d B6090N^d	B6090AX	PBG6090A^e	PBG52506^d	-	MB6090/M	-	-
600 mm	1200 mm	B60120A B60120L	B60120B^d B60120N^d	B60120AX	PBG60120A^e	-	-	MB60120/M	-	-
600 mm	1500 mm	-	B60150B^d B60150N^d	-	-	PBG52508^d	-	-	-	-
750 mm	750 mm	B7575A B7575L	-	-	-	-	-	MB7575/M	-	-
750 mm	900 mm	B7590A B7590L B7590AN^d B7590Z	B7590B^d B7590N^d	B7590AX	PBG7590A^e	PBG52510^d	-	-	-	-
750 mm	1200 mm	B75120A B75120L B75120AN^d B75120Z	B75120B B75120N^d	B75120AX	PBG75120A^e	PBG52511	-	-	-	-
750 mm	1500 mm	-	B75150B B75150N	B75150AX	-	-	-	-	-	-
900 mm	900 mm	B9090A B9090L	B9090B^d B9090N^d	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
900 mm	1200 mm	B90120A B90120L B90120AN B90120Z	B90120B B90120N	B90120AX	PBG90120A^e	PBG52513	-	-	-	-
900 mm	1500 mm	-	B90150B B90150N	B90150AX	-	PBG52514	-	-	-	-
900 mm	1800 mm	-	B90180B B90180N	B90180AX	-	-	-	-	-	-
1200 mm	1500 mm	-	B120150B^d B120150N^d	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1200 mm	1800 mm	-	B120180B B120180N^d	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1250 mm	1800 mm	-	-	-	-	PBG52521	-	-	-	-

Solid aluminum breadboards are offered with four different thicknesses: 12.7 mm (item # prefix MB), 19.05 mm (item # prefix MBH), 9.5 mm (item # prefix MS), or 7.0 mm (item # prefix MS). Select sizes are also available without an anodized coating (item #s ending with U).
Item Number Suffix:

F, A, B, or G: Non-Sealed Mounting Holes
T, L, U, or N: Sealed Mounting Holes
FN or AN: Nonmagnetic Mounting Holes
Y or Z: No Mounting Holes
S: Stainless Steel

Tapped Hole Pattern Aligned at 45°
Build-to-Order
Includes a T-Slot in Side Panels for Compatibility with 25 mm Rail Accessories
This product has an access aperture.

Posted Comments:

jens.kiessling (posted 2016-04-29 08:44:22.3)

Dear Thorlabs team, which cooling liquid do you recommend for these breadboards? Where can we get it in Germany? Distilled water is getting dark very fast when used in these breadboards, possibly corrosion?

msoulby (posted 2016-04-29 08:44:05.0)

Response from Mike at Thorlabs: The water could be becoming coloured due to residue left from the machining process so it may be worth flushing the breadboard before using again. We do not have an special requirements for the water used in the water cooled breadboards as aluminium is typically resistant to corrosion, however non-chlorinated water would be best.

makarov (posted 2014-08-18 17:11:40.337)

What's the thread behind the water connectors, and what is the bore diameter of the channels? We are thinking of using it with different connectors.

msoulby (posted 2014-08-22 05:21:01.0)

Response from Mike at Thorlabs: The tapped thread size is 1/8 BSPT with a thread depth of 13.0mm

bdada (posted 2011-12-07 12:44:00.0)

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: We are looking into your request for a larger water cooled breadboard and will contact you directly with more information. Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you have any questions.

johannes.kaschke (posted 2011-12-07 05:48:31.0)

Would it be possible to get a custom made 300mm x 600mm version?

user (posted 2010-07-30 12:06:45.0)

Wow. That is Cool. Nice work guys.

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Water-Cooled Breadboard

Features

Optical Breadboard Selection Guides

Water-Cooled Breadboards, Imperial

Water-Cooled Breadboards, Metric