IQS Newsroom Articles on Vacuum Ovens
Vacuum Ovens
Vacuum ovens are used to heat-treat items in a vessel that is airtight, creating a vacuum or carefully controlled atmosphere. They can be used for a number of purposes, including drying, curing, aging, heat treating, melting, and baking. Vacuum heat treating can also remove contaminants, prevent surface reactions such as oxidation, or add a substance to the surface layers of the item.
Vacuum ovens have a number of advantages over other types of industrial ovens. In drying, the pressure from the vacuum works together with the heat, allowing drying to take place at lower temperatures than would otherwise be possible. Many laboratories use vacuum ovens for drying heat-sensitive materials.
Vacuum ovens may be walk-in or truck-in batch ovens or smaller cabinet ovens, depending on their intended use. Heating sources for vacuum ovens include induction, arc, and electric. In induction, commonly used for surface hardening of steel, components are heated using alternating magnetic fields. An arc configuration creates heat by an arc between graphite electrodes and metal. Electric or resistance ovens, in comparison, use electricity in existing voltages to heat the oven.