Abstract: According to various aspects of the disclosure, a method may comprise: varying a drive force, by which a chamber valve of a vacuum chamber is held closed, when the vacuum chamber has been evacuated; and aerating the vacuum chamber after the variation of the drive force; transporting a substrate through the chamber valve when the chamber valve has been opened.

Abstract: A maintenance planning system for a production plant comprises: a production planning system for determining a production sequence for the production plant; an automation system for controlling production in the production plant; a state monitoring system for acquiring states of the production plant and its components; and a business planning system for the economic management of production and maintenance in the production plant. The maintenance planning system is designed for determining maintenance measures for the production plant. When determining the maintenance measures, the maintenance planning system takes into account the information of the production planning system, the automation system, the state monitoring system and the business planning system and performs optimization with regard to an economic utilization of the production plant. The disclosure further relates to a method for determining maintenance measures for a production plant and corresponding computer programs.

Abstract: In a system for optimizing production installations and/or processes of a metallurgical installation each production installation and/or process comprises a separate data management device. Entities of the metallurgical installation that are relevant for the respective part of the production installation and/or process are identifiable by local identifiers and the local identifiers can be used to retrieve data of separate data management devices. Within a central data management device each entity of the metallurgical installation has an associated global identifier. The applicable local identifiers of the separate data management devices are associated with the same entities of the metallurgical installation by the respective global identifier in the central data management device. Optimization involves at least some of the data from the separate data management devices being aggregated and evaluated by means of the global identifiers.

Abstract: According to various aspects of the disclosure, a method may comprise: varying a drive force, by which a chamber valve of a vacuum chamber is held closed, when the vacuum chamber has been evacuated; and aerating the vacuum chamber after the variation of the drive force; transporting a substrate through the chamber valve when the chamber valve has been opened.

Abstract: In accordance with various embodiments, provision is made of a substrate holding device, wherein the latter may comprise a carrier plate with a recess, the recess extending from an upper side of the carrier plate to a lower side of the carrier plate through the carrier plate, a holding frame, which has a frame opening and a support area, surrounding the frame opening, for holding a substrate in the recess, wherein the holding frame inserted into the recess lies on the carrier plate in sections.

Abstract: In accordance with various embodiments, provision is made of a substrate holding device, wherein the latter may comprise a carrier plate with a recess, the recess extending from an upper side of the carrier plate to a lower side of the carrier plate through the carrier plate, a holding frame, which has a frame opening and a support area, surrounding the frame opening, for holding a substrate in the recess, wherein the holding frame inserted into the recess lies on the carrier plate in sections.