The heating and drying ovens sector finds several laboratory ovens in use. Often these have special purpose given the applications they are dealing with. For users involved in application sectors such as the following will find a vacuum oven most useful:
Detailed information is now available in the vacuum oven whitepaper. Register here to access it in our downloads section. For further information on drying ovens, its technology, uses, versatility and more, read this explainer blog.
This device, also called a vacuum drying oven, is used for its versatility in laboratories, engineering and industries. Such a device, as per Handbook of Food Powders, uses a “method for drying materials sensitive to heat or oxygen (such as microorganisms and enzymes) due to the advantage of removing moisture at low temperature and minimizing the possibility of oxidation reactions” (A. Ghandi, ... I.B. Powell, 2013).
As the description above suggests, the laboratory vacuum oven usage is quite diverse and a good indicator of that are the list of applications listed in the beginning.
Areas of fruits, vegetables, packaged food materials, storage stability of foods, production of probiotic cells, drying of powders with microorganisms and enzymes, preservation of starter cultures, foodstuffs to cosmetics, granulate, watches, books, printed circuit boards, to electronic components or injection molds and more can be explored with it.
The vacuum drying oven principle explains that drying takes place where moisture can be removed at low temperature values. It is a “particularly suitable technology for drying oxygen and heat sensitive compounds or microorganisms. Indeed, it can be operated at low temperature since the boiling point of water decreases with a decrease in pressure” (F. Grattepanche, C. Lacroix, in Microbial Production of Food Ingredients, Enzymes and Nutraceuticals, 2013). This explains the working principle for the vacuum drying oven method.
A Memmert vacuum drying oven offers unique advantages. Firstly, here are some takeaway features:
The intelligent direct heating via individually positionable thermoshelves with separate sensors guarantees the shortest possible heating and process times. The control circuits react precisely to different loads or humidity and maintain the set temperature uniformly during vacuum drying. Due to the direct contact between the heating and the load, there is practically no heat loss. Each thermoshelf can be controlled and calibrated separately.
Digitally controlled vacuum cycles, in which the working chamber is vented at short intervals, considerably shorten the drying time. Ramps with different temperature and vacuum setpoints can be programmed easily and quickly via the AtmoCONTROL software.
With the software, intuitive programming of different temperature and vacuum setpoints are seen. Furthermore, display of all logged set and actual values are noted as well as archiving of ramps and program sequences.
In combination with the speed-controlled, chemically resistant vacuum pump, the VO series saves around 70% energy in ramp operation compared to an uncontrolled pump. The ultimate vacuum of up to 2 mbar enables a wide range of applications, and due to demand-oriented pump control and thus optimised flushing processes, the diaphragms have a significantly increased service life. Another feature is that of the turbo drying feature in a Memmert lab vacuum oven.
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