Micro vacuum pumps are used in a wide range of applications. They are mostly used in plastic manufacturing, medical applications, home-based operations, and food and beverage industries.
While the key function of all micro vacuum pumps is to create areas free of air or gas molecules, each area of their applications necessitates the use of a certain type of vacuum and pump.
For instance, a food and beverage industry will need a rough vacuum while on the other hand; ultrahigh or high vacuums will be considered for use in beam wielding. Also, small oil sealed vacuum pumps are preferred in packaging industries whereas micro liquid ring vacuum pumps are fit for applications in water remediation. As a result, it is important to know the right vacuum pump that is capable of producing the desired vacuum.
The main types of micro vacuum pumps include a micro liquid ring vacuum pump, micro diaphragm vacuum pump, micro turbomolecular vacuum pumps, and micro scroll vacuum pump.
The following paragraphs will therefore delve into the applications of different types of micro vacuum pumps as well as how to choose the right vacuum pump for your operation. But before we get into that, let’s take a look at our biggest concern. What are the applications of micro vacuum pumps?
- Medical industry
Small vacuum pumps are often employed in medical interventions that need suction. They’re also used in medical procedures like radiosurgery and radiotherapy.
- Food and beverage industry
Vacuum systems are used in freeze drying to keep perishable goods fresh for longer durations during transportation or storage. During the process, high vacuum systems are used to exert pressure on frozen meals.
- Laboratory
In laboratories, they’re useful for everything from cleaning up spilled liquids on a bench to extracting particular components after centrifugation. Also, to evaporate and condense liquid from biological and analytical samples, concentrators employ a combination of vacuum, pressure, and heat.
- Pharmaceutical industry
In the cleaning of surgical instruments, medical equipment, and tools, a specially designed liquid ring vacuum pump is employed to remove air pockets and enhance effective steam penetration.
- Airline industry
A vacuum pump is used in both small and large aircraft to activate the wheel breaks, operate the load ramps, and operate the propellers. Airplane wipers are also controlled by this device. Simply, an aircraft cannot take off or land without the use of a vacuum pump.
What Are The Main Types Of Micro Vacuum Pump?
Micro diaphragm pumps are small dry pumps that use a pulsating action to close and open valves to move air. The valves are normally composed of polytetrafluoroethylene, which makes the device corrosive resistant and less vulnerable to vapor damage. The diaphragm pump design is oil free.
Miniature diaphragm vacuum pump is used in a wide range of fields, pumping, suction, long-term vacuum, portable instrument gas sampling, sampling, gas circulation, mobile, handheld devices, such as gas sampling, object adsorption, vacuum pressure preservation, etc..
Miniature oil-free piston vacuum pump from 20L/S to 80L/S, used as a transfer pump, pumping no solid particles, non-corrosive gas, the pumping rate of this vacuum is larger and the vacuum degree is higher.
The advantages are compact size, low noise, low power consumption, easy to operate, easy to carry, maintenance-free, 24-hour continuous operation, also allows the medium, rich in water vapor. Most importantly, because it is dry and oil-free, no vacuum pump oil or lubricant is needed, so it will not contaminate the working medium and will not interfere with the analysis of the medium, etc.
Oil-free piston vacuum pumps are increasingly being used to grip objects on automated work lines in the current automation industry, such as product packaging, object transfer and mechanical assembly.
- Rotary vane vacuum pumps
This is a type of vacuum pump that allows air compression into the vacuum chamber to generate suction for the elimination of gas molecules from a region or vessel. They are equipped with motors and relief valves to regulate pressure levels.
- Scroll vacuum pumps
This is oil free equipment that uses both an orbiting and a fixed scroll to provide varying pressures with continuous flow rate. The orbiting scroll moves to create a void at the pump’s inlet port that draws in gasses. The gas is continuously compressed out through the exhaust.
- Liquid ring vacuum pumps
A small liquid ring is a pump technology that uses suction to move a volume out or in of an enclosed area or vessel. Usually, they use water as the working medium.
- Turbomolecular vacuum pumps
A micro turbomolecular vacuum pump is a kinetic vacuum pump that uses high-speed rotating motors to function. Its normal pumping speed ranges from 15 to 4,000 l/s with a pressure range of 10-4 to 10-11 mbar.
What Are Micro Diaphragm Vacuum Pumps Used For?
Micro diaphragm vacuum pumps are widely used in laboratories where lower pumping rates and moderate pressures are necessary. They are majorly employed in solid-phase extraction and filtration processes as they are chemical-resistant.
Diaphragm pumps are also used in pharmaceutical processes, vacuum cushions, gel drying, and vacuum mattresses. Nowadays, they are even used as tiny dry backing pumps in many high-vacuum applications.
Micro diaphragm pumps operate on a medium displacement principle. The suction or induction stroke moves the fluid into the diaphragm chamber while the discharge or expulsion stroke causes the diaphragm to contract again.
What Are The Advantages Of Using Diaphragm Vacuum Pumps?
Some of the advantages of using miniature diaphragm vacuum pumps include;
Ability to run dry – This pump equipment does not require any lubrication to operate. Therefore they will run for a given period when completely dry.
No overheating – Their source of power is extremely cold dry air which prevents overheating.
Chemical resistance – These pumps are corrosion and chemical resistant. As a result, they are used with any acidic, viscous, or corrosive liquid.
Ideal for continuous operation – They are fit for continuous operations due to a lack of pistons, motors, and gears that can wear out with time.
Varying discharge pressure and flow rates – This pump technology can operate anywhere within its operational range just by altering its fluid discharge settings and the pressure of the air inlet.
What Are The Applications Of Micro Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps?
These pump systems operate on the same principle of positive displacement pumps and therefore are essential for applications in automobile and industrial sectors. In automobile industries, they are used to develop products such as power steering systems and brakes.
In addition, vane pumps and compressors are used in the operation of air conditioning equipment, in laboratory operations where high vacuum is required, and in beverage processing machines where they’re integrated into dispensing equipment for coffee and soft drinks.
These pumps operation mechanism involves a rotor. A centrifugal force rotates the rotor blades to form the vane chambers. The varying pressure level and increasing volumes in the vane chambers trigger the movement of the medium in and out through the pump inlet.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Micro Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps?
Advantages of using micro rotary vane vacuum pumps include;
Low cost – These small pumps are cheaper and easily affordable. Also, their power consumption is much lower compared to other pumps such as liquid ring pumps.
High flow rates – Their normal rate of airflow ranges between 5 to 35 cubic meters per hour. Therefore, they are ideal for use in both low and medium vacuum systems.
Robust – They can continuously operate for a longer period with less maintenance.
Durable – The pump’s lubrication oil increases its lifespan by preventing corrosion.
Cool and quiet operation – The lubrication oil minimizes the amount of heat generated by preventing friction in the compression chamber.
When Should You Use A Micro Scroll Vacuum Pump?
Micro scroll vacuum pumps are suitable in applications where clean and dry vacuum pumps are required. They are majorly used in laboratories and research fields.
Mini scroll vacuum pumps are integrated into turbomolecular systems as fore pumps for analytical purposes to give clean products. Again, these compact pump systems are employed in non-corrosive applications, surface analysis, and gas sampling.
This small pump compresses and pumps a medium using two spiral vortexes (Fixed and eccentric). The movement of the fluid is always a result of eccentric vortex actions.
The Benefits Of Using Micro Scroll Vacuum Pumps
The primary benefits of using micro scroll vacuum pumps include;
Compact – They feature simple but sturdy structures, tiny movement radii, and stable performances. They are durable with low cost regular maintenance.
High efficiency – They have a low atmospheric pressure difference with 2-4 air extraction units. They have no leakages.
Oil-free – They don’t need oil to produce clean vacuums. There is no friction and pollution in the pump chamber.
Large pumping capacity – With the same diameter, their pumping capacity is twice that of single-stage pumps.
Extremely quiet operations – They have minimal vibrations and excellent balance during operation.
What Are Micro Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps Used For?
These positive displacement pumps are suitable for vacuum generation in situations where moist gases are removed or when condensation within the vacuum pump occurs during the process of compression. They are majorly used in chemical industries, paper manufacturing, plastics manufacturing, and food technology industries.
A micro liquid ring vacuum pump uses a fluid compatible with the gas to be expelled as a working fluid. Other fluids that are components of the process, such as organic solvents, ethylene glycol, and mineral oils, are also employed.
What Are The Main Advantages Of Micro Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps?
The following are the key benefits of micro liquid ring vacuum pumps;
Easy maintenance – Due to their robustness, they have a very low maintenance cost. The cost of spare parts is also low; only a little amount of glycol is required over time. There are no filters necessary.
Efficient and reliable – They are compact with a frictionless surface cavity that minimizes wear and tear. This makes them flexible, consistent, and dependable for work.
Easy processing – Their large capacities ranges up to 20 m3/ h. This results in lower footprints and easy operations.
Clean operations – They are extremely robust to physical pollutions and dust.
Simple but highly operational –They can offer large displacements with their small structures. They don’t need a gearbox and are always connected directly to the motors.
What Are Micro Turbomolecular Vacuum Pumps Used For?
Micro turbomolecular vacuum pumps are used in ultra-high and high vacuum applications including very harsh and clean operations in semiconductor industries where they handle highly corrosive liquids.
They’re ideal for tough industrial operations like coatings, as well as research and analytics. In addition, micro turbomolecular vacuum pumps are used in leak detection (airbag cartridges), lamp production, and vacuum metallurgy.
Their operation principle is based on multiple compression stages that compress the molecules. When fluid molecules enter the turbomolecular’s inlet port, the high-speed revolving blades generate a base pressure that pushes them to the next stage until they reach the exhaust outlet.
What Are The Benefits Of Micro Turbomolecular Vacuum Pumps?
The benefits of micro turbomolecular vacuum pumps include;
Cost-effective – They operate without the use of hydrocarbons, which makes them more efficient with reduced maintenance needs.
Easy operation – The pumps prevent oil from entering the vacuum system. Again, they can be stopped and restarted just in minutes.
High Pumping Conductance – They function at greater pumping speeds with improved conductance.
High gas removal ability – These pumps have high capabilities of delivering light gases. As a result, they’re ideal for ultra-high vacuum processes
Clean operations – They clean and offer hydrocarbon-free areas.
How To Choose The Best Micro Vacuum Pump?
Getting the appropriate micro vacuum pump necessitates a better understanding of not just the required vacuum level and use, but also the process conditions, compression ratio, and power consumption of every vacuum pump type. Below are the key things to consider when buying a vacuum pump.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Micro Vacuum Pumps Include:
- Maintenance
Choose a micropump with a low cost of maintenance over time. For instance, a turbomolecular vacuum pump will be much more expensive than an oil diffusion pump, but if you consider their costs of maintenance in a span of three years of high performance, then an oil diffusion pump will be much costly.
- Vacuum levels
Consider the vacuum level that needs to be obtained. Different vacuum and pressure levels call for the use of different vacuum pump system. For instance surface state physics operations will require an ultra-high vacuum pump system while beverage machines will need a medium or low vacuum.
- Fluid compatibility
Always choose a pump system that is compatible with the operating medium. Whereas corrosion-resistant systems tend to be expensive, they prove to have lower lifetime costs when handling highly aggressive fluids.
- Pump application
The product you chose should be fit for your intended operation. For instance, mass spectrometry necessitates a higher vacuum, filtration necessitates a low vacuum, while molecular distillation will use even ultra-high vacuum.
- Lubrication
Wherever appropriate, consider a dry pump for service benefits. Most operations, including laboratory applications, can be supported by oil-free micro vacuum pumps.
Summary
Micro vacuum pumps are essential components in a wide range of operations. In this brief guide, we have reviewed the different types of micro vacuum pumps, their uses, and how to choose the best vacuum pump. In addition to these, it’s highly recommended that you buy your vacuum pump from a reputable manufacturer to guarantee your pump quality and durability. While Shenzhen Boden is considered to be the best micro vacuum pump supplier, this guide Top 10 Micro Vacuum Pump Manufacturers, will provide you with a list of other reputable manufacturers to buy from.
