Call  for tender for the assessment and overhaul of the 8 mt coating plant of the ESO Observatory located in Paranal, Chile. The coating plant consists of a vessel of near 9m-diameter and 122m3 internal volume with the related vacuum (roughing pumps and cryo-pumps), cooling system, glow discharge cleaning device, sputtering unit (magnetron sputter source with the water cooled shutter system and cryogenic shields) and control equipment. It is ca. 15 years old LINDE AG unit used for the Aluminum coating of the VLT and AT mirror surfaces. The contract will start with a study to assess the current conditions of the plant (including thorough testing) and coating process, resulting in a committing offer to implement the required short-term modifications necessary for the plant to be operational for the coating planned in September 2013 and to propose the implementation of the required long-term modifications to assure a plant that can run for the next 15 years. The contract will also cover these short-term modifications.The Call for tender is scheduled to be issued in Q1 2013 to potential suppliers in ESO Member States. 

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