Vacuum chambers are designed to maintain a low-pressure environment that includes a full vacuum equivalent to outer space. They need a vacuum pump to remove air and other gasses from the chamber to achieve a vacuum environment.
Vacuum chambers are used in manufacturing, research, experimentation, and quality testing. They are applied in processes such as vacuum coating, degassing, and drying. Also, they are used in laboratory experiments and research applications like physics, nuclear research, and altitude simulation. This post takes a closer look into an acrylic vacuum chamber, one of the popular LeDab.ca vacuum chambers you can find online. The website also offers other types of vacuum chambers.
What are Acrylic Vacuum Chambers?
These vacuum chambers are made from acrylic polymer. These vacuum chambers are often preferred over their metallic counterparts because acrylic can be used in a variety of vacuum applications. Acrylic vacuum chambers are ideal for degassing small parts and mixed liquids, vacuum encapsulation, and general-purpose vacuum experiments.
Benefits of Acrylic Vacuum Chambers
The following are the benefits of using an acrylic vacuum chamber.
- It offers a clear view of the chamber. An acrylic chamber enables full visibility of the interior during operations from all angles. Also, it blends in better into the environment, seemingly saving shelf space. Compared to aluminum chambers, acrylic chambers are less clunky and more stylish. And acrylic chambers look cleaner than steel or aluminum chambers.
- It is versatile. An acrylic vacuum chamber will conform to the assembly it’s connected to over time. After it moulds around the system, it seals better.
- It has a high level of resistance to the elements. Acrylic resembles the majority of the optical properties of gas. But, it is more useful and impact-resistant than glass. Also, it is less dense than glass and does not yellow or blemish over time. It is resistant to chemical attacks and can stand up to the elements longer than any other plastics.
- It can be customised. Acrylic is easily machinable and routable, so an acrylic chamber is highly customisable. Therefore, it is easy to add different vacuum feedthroughs like liquid, powder, thermocouple, motion, or data to the chamber.
- It is easy to repair. Should an acrylic chamber get damaged, it can be easily repaired using the right epoxy/glue. And because of the transparent wall of the chamber, it is easy to locate and discover the damage or leak.
- It is easy to maintain and operate. An acrylic chamber does not require much maintenance other than periodic O-Ring replacement. In general, you will have to replace the O-Ring every 1-2 years.
