Vacuum System Basics

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• Vacuum systems are used to create a low-pressure environment (less than atmospheric pressure)
• They are used in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, research, space simulation and healthcare
• The main components of a vacuum system are the vacuum pump, the vacuum chamber, and the controls
• The vacuum pump removes air from the vacuum chamber, creating a low-pressure environment
• The vacuum chamber is the vessel that holds the low pressure environment
• It is possible to regulate the pressure in the vacuum chamber using the pump, valves and gas inlet

On high vacuum systems there are rough vacuum pumps and high vacuum pumps. It is necessary to use a rough vacuum pump to reach a certain pressure before the high vacuum pump can be introduced. Common pump types are rotary vane pumps, scroll pumps, turbomolecular pumps and diffusion pumps.

There are many different types of vacuum chambers such as bell jars, cylindrical metal chambers, and box metal chambers. Concept Vacuum Limited specialise in designing and manufacturing metal (usually stainless steel 304) flanged chambers with doors and windows. Flanges are ISO standard to be compatible with other manufacturers parts. Other chamber materials include aluminium, glass, Mu-metal and acrylic. 

Typical applications of vacuum systems include:

• Semiconductor manufacturing
• High-energy physics
• Medical research
• Cryogenics
• Materials science
• Space simulation