Ichiban
Ichiban is FORCE’s largest piece of equipment and is the first of its kind in the United States. It is a split column double-stage Kawai type multi-anvil press (or KMAP), and is much larger than standard multi-anvils. Made by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Ichiban is nearly two stories tall and is extremely heavy. It can handle pressures as high as 25 GPa and temperatures up to 2,000°C with a possible 6000 tonne-force load.
Ichiban’s main feature is its ability to accommodate exceptionally large sample volumes, up to 100 mm3 at maximum pressure ranges and even larger samples (2 cm3) at pressures around 15 GPa. Ichiban produces enough material in a single experiment for those characterization methods that require more sample than a single traditional multi-anvil experiment can provide e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Ichiban’s larger sample volume also allows experimentalists to run multiple compositions in the same experiment, ensuring that the same conditions were met across two samples. Additionally, Ichiban’s larger sample volume allows for more complex experiments such as those requiring advanced oxygen fugacity (ƒO₂) control.