High Vacuum News
Tips and Hints to Keep your Pumps Running Strong
November, 2010 - Vol 1, Issue 3
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| Dear Darel, |
We want you to be better informed and get more from your vacuum processing system. We also want to let you know what is happening at Metallurgical High Vacuum so we may be of service.
That's why we are sending you this newsletter that will let us keep in contact.
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President's Corner
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| Geoff Humberstone |
Some people ask me why things cost so much. And the easy answer is that you can always buy cheaper products but typically you find they don't last as long. Well-built stuff just costs more but adds value in the long run. One example is in heat treating that modifies metal properties to withstand tough operating conditions. It adds cost to the materials by heat treating, but the end result extends the life of the product.
To quote Terry Brown of Bluewater Thermal Solutions (from his speech as incoming president of the Heat Treating Society at last year's ASM HTS Meeting):
"We have to use heat treating as a way of reducing the manufacturing costs to the customer. That doesn't mean that you just reduce the price of heat treating (which is very difficult to continue to do). We MUST find ways to provide value... Click here to read more
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| Tips & Techniques: Pump Longevity what works (part1) |
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USE GOOD OIL--Nothing will gum up a pump faster than low-quality vacuum pump oil. The oil may not have the proper additives or viscosity, but the end result is poor pump operation and shorter life. We recommend MHV Formula "F" oil for rotary piston pumps. Wear and corrosion can come from contaminants such as vapors or solid particles coming from the process. It can come from not operating a pump properly, such as neglecting to use gas ballast to drive off water vapors from the oil.
FREQUENT OIL CHANGES--We've heard some heat treaters say, "It's the best way I know of to keep a pump running trouble free for a long time." They change their oil bi-monthly or even more frequently, depending on process conditions, and eliminate a lot of problems.
Note that Stokes® recommends a 300 hour oil change interval on their 412 pump.Some processes like sintering or others where acidic vapors a present, can create major headaches for maintenance people, because the oil just can't lubricate, seal and protect the vital parts of a pump.
MHV offers vacuum pump oil for most types of pumps, and in a variety of container sizes (at right). More info here
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Furnaces North America Show Report I
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This show was great for sharing information on how the industry is doing and what are new developments and processes. Attendance exceeded everyone's expectations with over 1,200 people from 38 states and 14 countries.
We brought a new HS430, our 430 CFM oil-sealed rotary piston designed for excellent reliability even in adverse operating conditions that got a lot of attention. Folks are getting the message about our unique oil filtration that can eliminate process contamination from causing early pump failure and high maintenance costs.
We also showed two of our rebuilt vacuum blowers for tough heat treating applications, a capability at which MHV excels. We had our mechanical seal retrofits for the Roots® 615 blower and Stokes® 306/310 blower, which eliminate a lot of maintenance headaches with high reliability shaft seals.
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| Tips & Techniques: Pump Longevity what works (part 2) |
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PUMP COOLING--There's a good reason why piston and vane vacuum pumps are designed with a water jacket: they're subjected to a lot of heat that can cause pumps to fail. Heat comes from adiabatic compression of the gases they are exhausting from a chamber, and from the process. Either way you have to eliminate heat and keep the pump running a proper temperature. We recommend running the Stokes® 212 and 412 pumps at 130° F to 140° F oil temperature.
To reduce water consumption, we recommend use of a water modulating valve.New MHV pumps come with this as standard, like the HS430 at right.
When you are using a closed-loop cooling system, be sure the coolant is at the right temperature and the system is working properly. Watch out for blockages if running water to an outside drain, for example, in cold climate when freezing can occur.
BLOWER OPERATION--For a 1600 CFM blower backed by a 300 CFM mechanical pump, the cut in pressure should be 15- 20 torr.
Starting a blower at too high a pressure overloads the blower and drive motor; starting at too low a pressure wastes time. Blower cut in pressure depends on the CFM of the blower and backing pump. |
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Furnaces North America Show Report II
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There were so many activities that we can only highlight a few in which we had an interest and time to visit when one of us was able to step away from MHV's busy exhibit booth. Here I am speaking to one of our many customers who came by to talk.
 The technical sessions included presentations from the following manufacturers: Ipsen, Seco-Warwick, Solar, and ALD Vacuum Technologies on topics like tempering, quenching, nitriding and case hardening. Ipsen presented: "Solution Nitriding-A Cost Effective Hardening Process" with lots of new information. ALD presented: "Low Distortion Heat Treatment of Transmission Components." It showed use of Low Pressure carburizing (LPC), high pressure gas quenching (HPGC), and use of new CFC materials (carbon reinforced carbon) for fixturing.
Two presentations focused on energy conservation. Dibalog presented: "How to Save Your Money by Reducing Peak Demand". G-M Enterprises presented: "Vacuum Furnace Designs for Maximum Energy Efficiency". The latter focused on developments in furnace design and operation including, better hot zone insulation, high-efficiency elements, power factor correction, and cooling water temperature.
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| Conversion Chart |
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MULTIPLY
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BY
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TO GET
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ATM
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760
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Torr
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ATM
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1013.25
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mbar
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ATM
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14.696
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PSI
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microns
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1.3328X10-3
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mbar
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microns
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1X10-3
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Torr
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microns
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133.28X10-3
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Pa
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l/min
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3.53X10-2
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CFM
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l/sec
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2.119
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CFM
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| MHV Makes High Quality Parts |
The manufacturing facilities at Metallurgical High Vacuum include the latest metal machining and welding facilities, engineering technology software and systems, material handling capabilities, extensive testing and quality control equipment and systems. The shop includes a precision automated Mazak VTC-6800 CNC Horizontal Machining Center -- 45" cube-- and a Mazak VTC 30C CNC Machining Center-- 60" X 30" X 20" Cube. We also have an extensive array of lathes, grinding machines, and milling machines and gaging equipment.
 The array of parts we manufacture is extensive. This ranges from parts we design ourselves for special jobs to others we make as replacements and for rebuilding pumps. We can even engineer and make parts for pumps that are no longer available. This in-house capability also means customers are not waiting for outside shops to do the work. All meet or exceed OEM specifications for materials and dimensional accuracy, so proper pump clearances are maintained.
Replacement Main Block for Stokes 412H11--MHV manufactures replacement main blocks for Stokes 412H11 pumps. In corrosive processes, the main block eventually is so corroded that it needs replacement. Also, after many rebuilds, hinge bar bores may be so large they can no longer be re-bored to restore proper finish. Brass core hole plugs are used, not steel, for better....Click here to read more
Please share your Vacuum Tips and ideas. You'll get full credit when we print them!
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| Rebuilding Out of Production Pumps to Help Customers |
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Beach-Russ made great vacuum pumps, so great they lasted thirty years or more. They have long since closed their doors, but the customers who have the pumps tied into production processes want to keep them running. We were called into this situation and were able to put our extensive engineering and pump knowledge onto the problem. They shipped us their old Beach-Russ RP 750 D pump, which we disassembled, inspected and made detailed measurements.
MHV's experience with vacuum pumps allowed us to reverse-engineer this model. We also were able to find sources for parts that used to be bought from the original equipment manufacturer. We itemized all the work that had to be done, and started by cleaning everything to bare metal. We could refurbish some parts, but others had to be ordered. And of course, we had to make some parts from scratch (like the stub shaft at right) by making our own CAD/CAM drawings and then machining them.
The pump was assembled, tested, checked for leaks (helium leak test), painted, and finally prepared for shipment. It's not bad looking for a pump with a new lease on life, ready to go back to work for another quarter-century or more.
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| SPECIALS |
First Time customers---get 10% off your first online parts order up to $1000.00 of parts. ($100.00 max discount).
Go to Parts EXPRESS Online Parts Express
Buy three rebuild kits and get the fourth kit for FREE. Kits are vacuum packed so all of the springs, gaskets, and pieces are kept together in one neat package. These are ready for immediate delivery "off the shelf".
Go to Parts EXPRESS Online Parts Express
These offers are valid through December. 2010). Available "off the shelf".
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Buy online at http://methivac.com/cart
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Call or write us with your questions, and let us know any suggestions and ideas you may have about the newsletter. Click to E-mail
Feel free to call on our team at MHV to help with your vacuum needs. You'll find we can respond quickly to your requests.
Sincerely,
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Geoff Humberstone
Metallurgical High Vacuum Corporation
6708 124th Avenue, Fennville, MI 49408-9632
Copyright (c) 2010--Metallurgical High Vacuum Corp. All rights reserved
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