Vacuum pumps for woodworking

For clamping, the manufacturers name claw vacuum pumps (Becker BCV, Busch MINK, Leybold CLAWVAC, Atlas Copco DZS), dry-running rotary vane vacuum pumps (Becker VTLF, VXLF, KVT, KVX, Busch SECO, Atlas Copco DVS), oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps (Busch R5) and screw vacuum pumps (Atlas Copco GHS VSD+, Leybold NOVADRY). Becker lists for its series: BCV 275 to 600 m³/h and 150 to 200 mbar, VTLF and VXLF 280 to 570 m³/h and 200 to 350 mbar, KVT and KVX 67 to 145 m³/h and 100 mbar. More on this on the page Vacuum clamping on CNC machines.

For clamping on CNC machines, Busch lists 150 to 500 mbar (abs.), roughly 0.5 to 0.86 bar below ambient pressure; for moving and lifting 300 to 900 mbar (abs.); and for sawdust extraction 800 to 900 mbar (abs.). The lower the absolute pressure under the panel, the more strongly the ambient air presses it onto the table: at a pressure difference of 800 mbar, with around 80 kN per square metre. What matters is that the pump holds this vacuum even with leakage.

Mechanical clamps can damage wood and leave marks; magnetic clamping does not work with wood. Vacuum clamps hold the workpiece over its whole surface and without pressure marks, and the top side remains free for the tool – this is how Atlas Copco, Busch and Leybold describe it.

Both are named. For dust-intensive applications, Becker recommends oil-free pumps with a large filter area (VTLF, VXLF, BCV), because in them no oil can combine with wood dust to form deposits; for laminating systems with high quality requirements, on the other hand, Becker names its oil-lubricated U 5 series. For clamping, Busch names the dry-running MINK and SECO as well as the oil-lubricated R5, which Busch also lists for laminating presses and thermoforming. For woodworking, Atlas Copco lists the dry-running DVS, the oil-lubricated GVS and the oil-injected screw vacuum pump GHS VSD+.

For clamping on CNC machines, Becker and Busch do not name side channel blowers but claw, rotary vane and screw vacuum pumps. They list side channel blowers for tasks where a weaker vacuum is sufficient: Busch the SAMOS for lifting and feeding panels and for sawdust extraction (300 to 900 mbar abs.), Becker the SV series for vacuum lifters. Atlas Copco names its side channel blowers of the DB series for vacuum tables.

Atlas Copco names 200 to 300 m³/h for smaller tables and 800 to 900 m³/h for pumps that supply several tables centrally. As the factors that determine the sizing, Becker names the panel size, the material density, the machining strategy and the total leakage – in nesting with open contours, it is not the ultimate pressure alone that decides, but the suction capacity available under this leakage.

For laminating and veneer presses, Busch names the oil-lubricated R5; Becker the oil-lubricated U 5 for high quality requirements and the oil-free KVT for smaller systems; Leybold the screw vacuum pump NOVADRY for 3D laminating presses; and Atlas Copco the GHS 1202 to 2002 VSD+ for wood laminating. The vacuum removes the air from the press lay-up so that veneer, film or coating adheres with even contact pressure and without air pockets.

For moving and lifting, Busch lists 300 to 900 mbar (abs.) and the SAMOS, MINK and SECO series, and for feeding systems also the R5. Becker names the SV series for vacuum lifters and the BCV for pick and place, Leybold the CLAWVAC.

Under vacuum, water boils at a lower temperature. The wood gives off its water faster and is not overheated in the process. Busch and Elmo Rietschle name a drying time of a few days instead of several weeks; Busch names the MINK and the DOLPHIN for this, Leybold the CLAWVAC and the NOVADRY.

Chips and sawdust reach the pump through leaks; a clogged inlet filter is the first thing to check when the suction capacity drops. Becker recommends inlet filters with a large area and easily accessible elements and names the oil-free VTLF, VXLF and BCV for dust-intensive applications. For the CLAWVAC, Leybold states that it can be cleaned on site within a few minutes after particles have entered. A central vacuum system outside the production area keeps dust and chips away from the pumps (Becker). Suitable filters: Spare parts and accessories.

According to Atlas Copco, single pumps are often the better choice for a few CNC machines, and central pumps for larger production plants. Becker describes central systems that generate the vacuum outside the production area and control it to demand, and names 30 to 50% lower energy consumption compared with individual solutions. Central vacuum systems are planned and built by Eugen Theis Vakuum, a company of the Ehrler & Beck group – more under Central Vacuum.

Yes. Ehrler & Beck offers original spare parts and accessories as well as maintenance and repair.