A recent advancement in material synthesis and processing is vacuum coating technology. Equipment for vacuum coating is crucial to the coatings industry. According to a vacuum coating entrepreneur, the purpose of vacuum coating surface technology is to give clients’ products “beauty” by giving them a more vibrant and colorful appearance. The employment of vacuum coating technology has been widespread in a variety of industries, including the production of integrated circuits, flat-panel displays, building and automobile glass, sensors, anti-counterfeiting technologies, and information storage fields.

Which vacuum pumps are suitable for vacuum coating?

Following are some of the frequently used vacuum pumps for vacuum coating:

1. Rotary Vane Vacuum pump for Vacuum coating

The major components of the rotary vane vacuum pump chosen for vacuum coating are the pump body (stator) and rotor. The rotor slot has more than two rotors, and some pumps sandwich springs in between them. The pump cavity’s top surface is 2-3 M away from the rotor’s outer edge, which is positioned eccentrically within the cavity. The rotary vane travels back and forth along the groove as the rotor rotates under the influence of centrifugal force, maintaining constant contact with the inside wall of the pump chamber. Two or more variable volume chambers are split into the pump chamber.

As the rotor turns in a clockwise direction, the extracted gas is continually inhaled from the suction port as the volume of the suction chamber that is attached to it gradually increases from zero and the pressure of the gas in the chamber lowers. The gas in the suction chamber is compressed at the same time as the exhaust chamber’s volume changes from large to small in relation to the exhaust port. Open the exhaust valve to let the atmosphere escape when the gas pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure. Continuous rotor rotation causes the pump to continually pump air.

2. Roots Vacuum Pump for Vacuum Coating

The limit vacuum of the roots pump in a vacuum coating is influenced by the limit vacuum of the preceding pump in addition to the construction and manufacturing precision of the pump itself. The use of root pumps in series can enhance the pump’s maximum vacuum. Roots blower and Roots pump both operate on the same principles. The extracted gas is drawn into the space V0 between the rotor and the pump shell as a result of the rotor’s continuous spinning, and it is then released out of the exhaust port. The gas in the pump cavity is not squeezed and expanded because the V0 gap is completely sealed after suction.

However, due to the high gas pressure at the exhaust side and the connection between the space V0 and the exhaust side, as the top of the rotor rotates the edge of the exhaust port, a portion of the gas flows back into the space V0, which causes the gas pressure to abruptly increase. The gas leaves the pump as the rotor keeps turning. Two “8”-shaped rotors are vertically mounted on a pair of parallel shafts in the cavity of the roots pump, and a pair of gear belts with a transmission ratio of 1 rotate in reverse synchronous rotation with one another. There is a small space between the rotors and the inside of the pump casing that allows for high-speed operation.

3. Water ring Vacuum pump for Vacuum Coating

Water is used as the working fluid in the proper quantity in the water ring vacuum pump with vacuum coating. The water is thrown around by the impeller when it rotates in the designated direction, clockwise. The geometry of the pump cavity determines how the water will create a closed ring of roughly equal thickness as a result of the centrifugal force. The inner surface of the lower portion of the water ring is barely in contact with the top of the blade, and the inner surface of the higher portion of the water ring is barely tangent to the impeller hub (in fact, the blade has a certain insertion depth in the water ring).

The water ring and impeller hub now form a crescent-shaped cavity, which the impeller divides into multiple smaller cavities with an equal number of blades. The volume of the small cavity will rise from small to large when the impeller is 180 ° before rotation and it is connected to the suction port on the end face if the upper 0 ° of the impeller is considered as the beginning point.

The gas will now be inhaled, and once the suction is complete, the small cavity will be cut off from the suction port. As the impeller continues to rotate, the small cavity will change from large to small, compressing the gas, and then the small cavity will be connected to the exhaust port, allowing the gas to exit the pump.

Where is vacuum applicable to coating procedures?

Many coating processes that involve the vapor deposition of metals, polymers, or glass depend heavily on the vacuum. Without a vacuum, these procedures would frequently be impossible. At the beginning of the procedure, the chamber is evacuated using a medium or high vacuum, and then reaction gases are drawn out or solid raw materials are vaporized.

A perfectly dependable medium or high vacuum in the chamber that properly matches the coating process is a prerequisite for all of these techniques. Such coating processes are carried out to change the material’s surface properties, such as its hardness or corrosion resistance. It is also possible to utilize vacuum coating to enhance the adhesive or wetting qualities of the material, or to make surfaces permanently hydrophobic or hydrophilic.

Vacuum coating has been forced into the mainstream because to its high cost performance and the environmental damage caused by traditional electroplating. For consumers, a trade-off between price and brand is more important than finding the lowest price. The best option is to select a vacuum pump brand like MechvacTech that can satisfy the demand and the budget. The vacuum pump of choice for vacuum coating is the one mentioned above!