May 2018

Gaskets for Vacuum Chambers

May 21, 2018

Vacuum chambers are used in many industries. Their largest application area in the physical vapor and directed vapor deposition, (PVD and DVD,) process industries. Here they are used for applying both decorative finishes and hard protective coatings. Vacuum eliminates contaminants that would cause oxidation or reduce purity. The cutting tool, semiconductor and nuclear industries are all big users. They’re also used in scientific research even for growing engineered diamonds.

A Difficult Sealing Environment

The gaskets used for sealing these chambers are critical pieces of the equipment. They fit around access ports where they have to withstand high clamping forces as well as extremely low vacuum. That means they need strength and good compression set resistance. Another requirement is a wide temperature range and there’s also a fourth, more specialized challenge.

Outgassing

Emptying a vacuum chamber of air, (pumping it down,) takes time because molecules cling to the interior surfaces. These surfaces must be given time to give up these molecules in a process called “outgassing”.

Materials give up their attached air molecules at different rates, which makes outgassing behavior an important consideration when selecting gasket material for vacuum chambers. Slower outgassing means longer pump-down times, which in turn reduces chamber throughput.

Suitable Materials for Vacuum Chamber Gaskets

The most popular choice is Viton®. Technically a polymer from the fluorocarbon family, (Viton® is the DuPont trade name,) this has a wide temperature range, (-20 to +400°F) and good compression set resistance. Most importantly though, it provides shorter outgassing times than the alternatives.

These alternative materials are silicon, Butyl, Buna-N and EPDM. Silicon gasket material outgasses more slowly than Viton® but has a wider temperature range and good ozone resistance. In ultra-low vacuum applications, meaning pressures below 7.5×10-10 Torr, elastomeric gaskets are replaced by copper.

Finding the Right Material for Vacuum

Every vacuum chamber has access ports, and access ports need gaskets. An important consideration for the gasket material is outgassing behavior as this affects pump-down time. If outgassing is a concern in your gasket application, the specialists at Hennig Gasket will be happy to offer advice.

Applications
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What UL Ratings Mean for Gasket Materials

May 07, 2018

Industrial enclosures often have to meet NEMA and IP standards for ingress protection. These aren’t the only standards designers should consider though. There’s also UL50 and UL50E. Established by Underwriters Laboratories, these were developed to ensure that electrical enclosures would be safe. Safety depends at least in part on the gasket, so there are UL standards for gasket materials too.

The UL difference

Achieving NEMA or IP certification entails passing some stringent tests. However, these tests only verify dust and water resistance. They don’t explicitly test the gasket material. UL testing does.

Gasket material is tested because environment and use affect how long it lasts. Some gaskets are exposed to UV outdoors. Others, especially if near high voltage equipment, can be attacked by ozone. Some enclosure gaskets will endure periodic recompression when the door is repeatedly opened and closed. Other are in continuous compression, as might be the case around an electronics assembly.

These variables place different demands on the gasket material. Many gaskets might hold up to NEMA and IP testing but the material could degrade slowly and reduce the protection the enclosure provides.

Gasket Material Certification

To address the impact of use and environment on enclosure performance, UL developed tests for gasket material. These are defined in UL157, “Standard for Gaskets and Seals”. This covers both foam and solid elastomeric and composite gasket materials.

Materials passing UL157 can be considered as “UL Recognized Components”. Using components certified this way in an end product simplifies the process of getting UL approval. (Other UL standards may also be applicable.)

Buy UL-Rated Gasket Material

When designing equipment, using UL-rated materials will save time and money in testing. And later, when gaskets are being replaced, it might also be prudent to stick with UL157 materials. These range from neoprene and EPDM foams to silicon and even cork. (But note that adding a pressure sensitive adhesive nullifies any prior UL rating.)

Finding the right UL-rated gasket material for a specific application can be difficult. If unsure what to use, consult a material specialist at Hennig Gasket.

FAQs
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