Turbo vacuum pumps may sound rather alien to the average person, most especially as the operating principles behind them are something that isn’t easily reducible to layman’s terms.  However, turbo vacuum pump technology is an essential component in the manufacturing process of certain products. This is because turbo vacuum pumps have provided a means for manufacturers to get more creative when adding features to their respective products.

Turbo Vacuum Pumps: How Do They Work?

In essence, making a vacuum inside a system means removing all the gas molecules inside of it. Gas molecules, however, can only be moved if two regions of space have a difference in pressure. The more molecules an area has, the higher its pressure.

A device capable of making a pressure difference between regions is called a pump. A vacuum pump is a pump that generates a vacuum while moving air molecules.

Turbo vacuum pumps however don’t always work the same. There are actually two types of vacuum pumps that create vacuums in different ways:

• Transfer pumps are also called kinetic pumps because gas is being “pushed” from the inlet to the outlet out of the pump via mechanical movement. When the pump reaches vacuum level, a valve isolates the tank and stops any further gas exchange.
• Trapping pumps or capture pumps are usually located in containers that are being evacuated. Gas molecules are removed from the container via condensation or sorption, which means molecules that interact with the pump’s refrigerated surface become liquid before being removed.

At first glance, it appears turbo vacuum pumps just make vacuums by moving air. This much is right – but it also has a lot of practical uses in various industries. To give you an idea of some of the applications of turbo vacuum pumps in everyday life, here are some of the ways that turbo vacuum pump technology is improving businesses:

1. Turbo vacuum pumps are used by automotive glass manufacturers

You may have noticed that the new windshield you’ve had installed in your car is repelling water even after heavy rain has fallen on it. You don’t have to use your car’s wiper as much anymore while you drive. That’s because the automotive glass manufacturer had applied a thin film of water-repellent coating onto the windshield using a turbo vacuum pump. This is one industry that these types of pumps are used in.

2. Turbo vacuum pumps are used by optical media manufacturers

If you still collect physical media instead of downloading or streaming music and movies, you may have noticed that your CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs are all shiny and free from scratches. That’s because optical media manufacturers apply a thin film of scratch-resistant coating onto the bottom of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs using turbo vacuum pump technology so that the data stored in them wouldn’t become unplayable because of a hairline scratch.

3. Turbo vacuum pumps are used by eye care product manufacturers

If you’ve taken a mirror selfie and you’ve noticed that the pair of eyeglasses that you’re wearing aren’t reflecting back a small image of yourself, that’s because the manufacturers of your spectacles had applied a thin film of anti-reflective coating to it using a turbo vacuum pump. That way, you can see your eyes behind your eyeglasses after taking a photo of yourself instead of a mirror image of you reflected back at them.

On the other hand, if you’re fond of wearing sunglasses during summer, you may have noticed that your pair of shades are reflecting the coastline in front of you. That’s because the manufacturers of your sunglasses had applied a thin film of high-reflection coating to it – again, using a turbo vacuum pump. That’s technology and style working together right there!

Conclusion

Ever since a Japanese company manufactured the first turbo vacuum pump for small-scale applications in 1971, the said vacuum pump has found its way into the manufacturing industry. As explained above, the coatings applied on top of windshields, optical media, and eye care products are all made using turbo vacuum pump technology and are just some of the industries improved by turbo pumps. So if you’re planning to enter into manufacturing business, you should start looking into some of the best vacuum pumps available in the market right now and get yourself one for your manufacturing plant.

Paul Flood, President of Provac, started his career with Provac in 2000 with an extensive background in the manufacturing industry.  Being from a family of noted physicists, he is a quick learner and is now an expert on most vacuum pumps and applications