Vacuum Chamber and Pump Kit Degassing BHO, Urethane, Silicone, Epoxies Two Part Systems
Thomas Performance Parts Vacuum Chamber
Please read before purchase
Many sellers’ claim that their products are the best. Their promise is only as good as their research and manufacturing.
Most of our customers are new to vacuum chambers. There are a few factors you should consider before your purchase.
Our research has shown that when you purchase an untested or poorly designed Vacuum Chamber it costs you money, time and personal safety.
Vacuum Chambers work under extreme negative pressure so it is imperative to buy from a trusted manufacturer and seller.
Aluminum Chamber: Strong and easy to clean 3/16 inch wall thickness. Solvent and heat resistant. Won’t implode like thin Stainless Steel pots. 10-inch diameter and a 9-inch height gives plenty of space for your projects. Degas in any vessel or degas in moulds. Chamber volume .4010 cubic feet empty.
MAKROLON® Lid: ½ inch thick see-through Ballistic Grade Polycarbonate. The same material use for bulletproof windows. Won’t shatter like Acrylic lids. The edges of our lids are rounded for comfort and safety. We also built in handles so you don’t have to use the manifold as a handle.
* Please read why we don’t use Acrylic.
Neoprene Seal: We install a one inch wide Neoprene seal using 3M 1357 Scotch Weld. Neoprene has a high chemical solvent resistance. Neoprene has twice the tolerance to heat as Urethane and doesn’t soak up Butane like Silicone.
* Please read why we don’t use Silicone seals.
CNC Delrin Manifold: We use Delrin because it is a superior plastic to machine and thread. It machines like Aluminum providing high tensile strength and dimensional stability with superior resistance to solvents. Manufactured in our CNC machine shop.
Vacuum Gauge: Our gauges calibrate from 0 to –30 Inches of Mercury. We test all of our gauges prior to assembly then the entire unit is tested and because we care about your end product. We include our exclusive instructions on how to calibrate your gauge. This ensures you accuracy and consistency. We don’t use liquid filled gauges.
* Please read why we don’t use liquid filled gauges.
Shut Off Valve: Nickel-plated Ball valves with Teflon seals and Nylon Hose Barbs. We test all of our valves before and after final assembly.
* Please read why we don’t use Brass Hose Barbs.
Vacuum
Pump: Our Pumps are 3CFM Two Stage 15 Micron. We have tested many pumps
and found this model to be superior to all others. Our pumps are shipped with
your chamber and setup for easy use.
* Please read why we don’t use Single Stage Pumps.
Hose: We include a four foot 300 PSI Amflo hose. When you purchase consider this. Our hoses have a certified burst rating.
One fully tested Vacuum Chamber and Pump
1: 3 Gallon Chamber
1: Vacuum Lid with Manifold, Lid Seal, Vacuum Gauge, Vacuum Inlet Port, Shut Off Valve, Backing Plate and Screws
1: 4 Foot 3/8 inch ID Vacuum Hose with shutoff valve.
1: 3CFM Two Stage Vacuum Pump with 3/8 x 3/8 inch hose barb
1: Set User Instructions
First: Will you be degassing a liquid that expels solvents? Examples are stains, glues Urethanes, Epoxies and some paints. Our Polycarbonate lid is far more resistant to solvents than the Acrylic lids. Even simple cleaning products like window cleaners have Alcohol in them. Just Google Alcohol and Acrylic.
Second: Will this chamber be used for Essential Oils? Remember all parts in a Oil processing chamber must be cleaned with Alcohol. Our Polycarbonate Lid and all the parts of our chambers can be cleaned with Alcohol. Acrylic lids can’t be cleaned with Alcohol, it causes stress cracks. Something to think about when the vacuum chamber lid is pulled down with over a Thousand Pounds of force at –30 on the gauge and your face is 18 inches away.
Third: Flat seal verses O-Ring type. Our 1-inch wide flat Neoprene Seal is adhered with 3M 1357 Scotch-Weld cement made just for Neoprene giving a solid connection and ample room to move the lid around and obtain an easy vacuum seal. The O-ring type is 50-75% smaller and is poured into a groove cut into the lid. There is no adhesion other than the Urethane to groove walls. With repeated use the O-ring is compressed and breaks apart from the groove. Remember Urethane isn’t an adhesive. The next point is the groove. It must be cut into the lid deep enough to make room for the seal. Right at the point of greatest pressure the lid is cut and weakened. The seller may say their lid is ¾ inch thick but it’s as thick what’s left where the groove is cut. That’s the pull and pressure point of the lid.
Fourth: Installation of Gauge, Vacuum Inlet and Shut Off Valve. You can see we use a machined Manifold and Backing Plate. Polycarbonate and Acrylic are too fragile to hold a thread under the continued lid flexing under vacuum. Consider the depth of the pipe thread 3/100 of and inch. About the thickness of Three Business Cards. Softer materials require coarser threading. This leaves more material to support the pull stress that the screw or pipe puts on the threads. Pipe threading in plastic is usually a one-time use. The heat and tension put on the thread fractures the threads and when the pipe is removed the plastic threading comes with it.
If you think this is all about design and experience your 100% right.
We test each component and final assembled chamber goes through a 24-hour test. This section gives you and understanding of why we chose the components in our chambers.
Vacuum Pumps: This is the most important part of this section. Some people are selling Single stage pumps claiming they work to degas. This is not true and the Manufactures of the pumps say so. The pumps that are being sold were mostly made for the HVAC trade. Single stage pumps will pull a vacuum. They won’t pull what is known as a deep vacuum. The deep vacuum is what removes VOC’s (Butane) and water from your product. We sell pumps that pull to 15 Microns. I work with local oil processors and they lab test their product. Don’t poison yourself. As you may have noticed we do things a little different. The other guys put the pump shutoff valve on the lid because it’s easy. We put the shutoff valve as close to the pump as possible. Why? When you pull a vacuum the pump gets hot. Since the pump itself is in an oil bath the oil gets hot. If you consider that at a full –29.91 vacuum water boils at -70F. The pump oil has solvents and stabilizers but the older it gets the more contaminated it becomes. When this hot vaporized oil hits the cool shutoff valve and plumbing assembly on the lid it condenses. Where do you think it will go next? My question to you is. Do you want the contaminated oil in the lid or 4 feet away from the lid where it isn’t under vacuum and doesn’t have a chance of getting into your chamber?
Acrylic Plastic in very reactive to solvents like Alcohol. Some user process oil with Alcohol. Other know that in essential oil production you must clean your chamber with a disinfectant to maintain a healthy product. Acrylic can’t be cleaned with Alcohol. Alcohol causes stress cracks that will ultimately lead to catastrophic failure.
Silicone in your processing. If you haven’t heard the producer on silicone-baking sheets that were used for oil production have been changed from Silicone to PTFD ( Teflon ). The Silicone sheet was delaminating from the fiberglass support sheet inside and components from the Silicone were transferred into the oil. Silicone soaks up Butane like a sponge and while it is under vacuum may release chemicals into your oil.
Liquid Filled Gauges: Some seller call them custom liquid filled. The manufacture’s designed these gauges to be used in an environment of quick pressure changes. The liquid is used as a shock absorbing agent. The problem is vacuum chambers don’t have this kind of rapid vacuum change. The real problem is that the liquid makes the gauge very susceptible to altitude and temperature changes. You must acclimate the gauge to your altitude and maintain a stable temperature for the gauge to read accurately. The manufacturer goes to the point of saying “ Once mounted remove the gauge plug and don’t move the gauge”. This is why I feel the gauge is not a proper fit for our products.
Brass Hose Barbs: While some people think that Brass is best. Our research has shown Nylon to be superior. Once again Brass works fine when it is not moved. Brass also requires a hose clamp. Nylon doesn’t require a hose clamp and has a better seal that allows you to rotate the connection without leaks.
Threading into Plastic: Some seller’s thread directly into to lid. This is a bad idea on many levels. First Acrylic and Polycarbonate Plastics don’t hold threading. The NPT thread is tapered. When a valve or pipe is installed the threads are crushed to make the seal. The installation also acts like a cork. When torque is applied it pushes out on the threads and hole. When vacuum is applied the lid will be pulled into the chamber with great force creating a stress point. Some seller’s bad design even has the vacuum gauge hole in the center of the lid at its maximum stress point. We use a manifold and backing support plate that spreads the stress load. It is positioned far from the center stress load.
I hope this has helped you understand our products. I look forward to earning your trust and business. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to email.
Thomas Performance Parts
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