Dry screw pumps are increasingly popular as an alternative to oil-sealed rotary vane pumps for many medium and high vacuum applications. Vacuum furnaces end-users and designers must have a good understanding of how claw and screw pumps operate. This includes ...
Vacuum Furnace End-User Q&A Community Latest Articles
How do diffusion pumps work and what are their basic operating principles?
Andrew Chew
Diffusion pumps boil the oil fluid and then direct the hot oil vapor at very high speeds outwards and downwards through cone-shaped jets. Gas molecules entering the top of the pump are drawn in the vapor stream and redirected to ...
What are some of the basics of roughing pump operations in high-vacuum furnaces and advice to use them in a cost-effective way?
Answer it Forward Challenge
A “roughing pump” is a vacuum pump used to evacuate a vacuum system at the outset, as the first stage towards achieving a higher vacuum. The term originates from the “rough vacuum range” it works in, which is above 1×10−3 ...
What are the most important considerations when purchasing a new vacuum furnace system?
AlessiaP
The purchase of a vacuum furnace represents a major investment in time and money and requires careful planning and considerable up-front research. The process begins by understanding your needs and requirements which will help you to determine what questions to ...
What are the most recent changes and implementations in AMS2750F?
Answer it Forward Challenge
Jason Schulze, Director of technical services at Conrad Kacsik Instrument Systems, Inc., is a prolific writer about this topic. Here is his latest article on Heat Treat Today about the recent AMS2750F changes and their implementation. The AMS2750F specification covers ...
How do you calibrate the vacuum furnace water cooling system?
AlessiaP
As with any piece of manufacturing equipment, proper maintenance of your vacuum furnace water cooling system at regular intervals is a point of major emphasis to provide trouble-free operation and extending the service life of your furnace. This video provides ...
How to avoid damaging your vacuum furnace water cooling system?
AlessiaP
As with any piece of manufacturing equipment, proper maintenance of your vacuum furnace water cooling system at regular intervals is a point of major emphasis to provide trouble-free operation and extending the service life of your furnace. This article explores ...
Why do we need to heat treat metal parts after additive manufacturing?
AlessiaP
During the AM printing phase, the heating and cooling of the metal as the part is built layer-by-layer can accumulate internal stresses and tensions, which compromise the part’s mechanical properties. Heat treatment improves the microstructure and mechanical properties of the ...
What are the most important tips for working with oil-sealed rotary vane pumps?
Andrew Chew
Oil-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps are used in the vacuum heat treating as holding pumps at the exhaust side of the oil diffusion pump while the larger mechanical pumps are roughing (evacuating from atmospheric pressure) the main vacuum chamber. An ...
How does conductance influence gas flow in a vacuum system?
Andrew Chew
For a vacuum pump system, it is important to take into account the system conductance. and Why Does it Matter? Conductance is the characteristic of a vacuum component or system to readily allow the flow of gas and can be ...
What do you need to consider when choosing between different types of vacuum pumps?
Andrew Chew
When designing or operating a vacuum system, it is critical to consider several factors. Knowing the intended use will allow you to determine the technology, lubrication, chemical resistance, vacuum level, and necessary flow rate. Vacuum pumps are categorized by their ...
What are some of the fundamental procedures to maximize carbon and oxygen probe life?
Answer it Forward Challenge
Maximizing the lifetime of carbon or oxygen sensors is not guaranteed and is dramatically reduced if they are physically damaged by shock or vibration, contamination from chemicals, the environment in which it is used in, and lastly on whether the ...
How do you reduce outgassing in vacuum systems?
Andrew Chew
Outgassing is the release of trapped gas or vapor that are dissolved, trapped, frozen, or absorbed in the materials being heat-treated in a vacuum system. Outgassing includes sublimation and evaporation which are phase transitions of a substance into a gas, ...
When does an air-cooled system make sense over a cooling tower evaporative water cooling system?
Answer it Forward Challenge
Many cooling systems today utilize a cooling tower. Cooling towers depend on a sump tank of water that is pumped over a PVC fill while ambient air is blown over the falling water causing evaporation. Each pound of water evaporated ...
What is the working principle of a multi-stage roots vacuum pumps?
Andrew Chew
Roots vacuum pumps are dry, gas transfer pumps that do not introduce oil or water into the pumped gas stream. The gas transfer is achieved by the mechanical transfer of pumped gas molecules. Generally referred to as booster pumps, they’re ...