Nautilus Marine Service

VITROVEX Instrument Spheres

Nautilus VITROVEX Instrument Spheres

Precision-Made Glass Housings for Underwater Instruments

VITROVEX instrument spheres are pressure-resistant enclosures specifically designed to protect underwater instrumentation while providing buoyancy. Each sphere consists of two precisely mated hemispheres, sealed together using a vacuum process and secured with sealant and protective tape.

When sealed, the hemispheres are kept together by atmospheric pressure on land and by hydrostatic pressure during deployment in the water column. A vacuum port is typically incorporated to allow for repeated sealing and unsealing as needed.

Meticulous Manufacturing

VITROVEX instrument spheres are engineered for maximum reliability and consistency:

  • Parting plane sealing faces and ground flats around drill holes are honed to a precise flatness through a three-step finishing process:
    1. Milling with a diamond tool
    2. Manual smoothing
    3. Polishing (where required)
  • Precision-molded borosilicate glass ensures minimal deviation in shape, even under high pressure.
  • Strict quality control guarantees that each sphere is free of significant imperfections.
  • Hemispheres of the same outside diameter and wall thickness are fully interchangeable, individually replaceable, and require no special alignment during assembly.

Configuration Overview

The table below provides specifications for the most commonly used VITROVEX flotation spheres and their configuration options. This list serves as a selection guide—if your preferred model or configuration is not listed, please contact us for additional options and custom solutions.

Model Series Depth Rating​ Outer Diameter Wall Size​ Approx.
Net Buoyancy
Approx.
Weight in Air​
Protective Shell Options Vacuum Port Options​
  m inch mm inch mm​​ kg lbs kg lbs    
NMS-IS-6700-17 6700 17 432 0.55 14​​ 26 57 23 51 None, S, RO VP, VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-7000-13 7000 13 330 0.47 12​​ 11 24 11 24 None, RO VP, VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-8000-4.5 8000 4.5 114 0.28 7​​ 0.2 0.4 0.7 2 None VP, VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-9000-17 9000 17 432 0.71 18​​ 21 46 27 60 None, S, RO VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-10000-10 10000 10 250 0.35 9​​ 4 9 5 11 None, RO VP, VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-12000-7.5 12000 7.5 187 0.55 14​​ 0.5 1 3 7 None VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-12000-17 12000 17 432 0.83 21​​ 18 40 30 66 None, S, RO VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-12000-3 12000 3 80 0.4 10​​ 0 0 0.4 1 None VP, VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-12000-13 12000 13 330 0.63 16​​ 8 18 11 24 None, RO VPL, VPS, VPR
NMS-IS-6000-20 6000 20 508 0.63 16​​ 41 90 28 62 None VPL, VPS, VPR

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Address

7416 Cabrillo Avenue, La Jolla, CA  92037, United States