For many years, vacuum ovens have been used in several industries such as electronics, aerospace, and medical sectors. However, they have become popular among commercial cannabis growers in recent years. These ovens are used on equipment that can’t handle the excessive heat of normal ovens. Read to understand how these LeDAB vacuum ovens work:
How Vacuum Ovens Work
A vacuum oven is used for removing gas, moisture, and other volatile chemicals from items, ensuring no reactions will occur. Usually, they are the last step in the production of semiconductors, implantable medical devices, essential oils, epoxies, and a lot of packaged food products. When items are dried in a vacuum oven, oxidation is minimised. Also, this dries delicate products and decreases the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.
A vacuum oven heats items like an oven and creates a vacuum-sealed chamber. The vacuum chamber is the main drying mechanism of the oven. It minimises pressure, reducing the boiling point of the majority of substances. As a result, the oven can evaporate unwanted materials from samples without burning them.
Uses of Vacuum Ovens
Vacuum ovens are used for drying electronic products and curing printed circuit board coatings in the electronics industry. With vacuum processing, electronics makers bypass the warping and reduce the amount of time required for getting the devices to the market. Also, the industry can use the oven for drying smartphones that have been dropped in water.
In the medical sector, a vacuum oven is used for removing toxic chemicals inside a person’s body. It is particularly essential for implanted devices such as pacemakers, catheters, and artificial heart valves. Vacuum processing ensures these devices do not carry harmful chemicals or sustain damage after being exposed to heat.
The aerospace industry uses vacuum ovens for stimulating the way a device reacts in the space’s high vacuum environment. All things that go into space are run through vacuum processing.
Vacuum Ovens in the Cannabis Industry
Cannabis growers use a vacuum oven for processing cannabis extracts such as butane hash oil (BHO). The vacuum often pulls residual solvents such as Butane out of the vacuum chamber, leaving purified behind oil extracts. Vacuum processing makes it faster and safer to process extracts. The traditional way of processing cannabis oil extracts poses fire hazards.
When buying vacuum ovens, it is important to pick the right model for the intended application. The startup cost can be high, so buyers must get their setup right from the get-go. Thankfully, a lot of manufacturers provide technical information on their models, together with setup and use tutorials.