Our headquarters is in Bristol BS35 3UW, United Kingdom. Applied Vacuum Engineering 

We offer a range of vacuum pumps, including oil-lubricated, oil-free, high vacuum, and centralised systems, primarily from DVP, Leybold, Stokes, and Edwards but not limited to just these Vacuum suppliers.  Click here for more information.

Yes, we offer servicing, repair, and refurbishment for various vacuum pumps, ensuring optimal performance and longevity. Click here for more information.

We manufacture clear cast acrylic vacuum chambers, mild steel vacuum chambers, stainless steel vacuum chambers, and aluminium vacuum chambers, tailored to meet specific application requirements.  Click here for more information.

Absolutely.  Applied Vacuum Engineering specialise in bespoke vacuum chambers, including front-loading acrylic chambers, cylindrical chambers, and glass bell jars, designed to your specifications.  Click here for more information.

Yes, all our chambers undergo rigorous leak testing including leak back rate tests to ensure they meet the required standards for your processes.  Click here for more information.

All our Acrylic Vacuum Chambers can be Helium Leak Detector tested and are all subjected to pressure rise tests for a minimum period of 24 hours.

If you have seen crazed Acrylic Vacuum Chambers or Acrylic Lids which are crazed we did not manufacture them.  All our Acrylic chambers and lids are fully annealed after manufacture to prevent this from happening.

The largest acrylic vacuum chamber we have designed and manufactured has been 750mm cubed in internal dimensions. We can manufacture any size of acrylic vacuum chamber.

Yes we can and do supply acrylic lids for use on other manufacturers’ products. All we will need is the size of the chamber and the vacuum application.

Yes, we provide vacuum pump hire options, including boosters, freeze dryers, and vacuum coaters, to support your temporary or project-based needs.  Click here for more information. 

Yes we service all stokes vacuum pumps, including the Stokes 412, 212 and boosters. Service can include full re-machining of the block and the replacement of all mechanical parts, including pistons and oversize hinge bars.  We have a comprehensive stock of new spare parts in stock.  

We offer refurbishment services for various vacuum systems, helping to extend their lifespan and improve efficiency.  Click here for more information.  

Yes, we offer comprehensive technical support and preventative maintenance services to ensure the reliability of your vacuum systems.  Click here for more information.

We serve a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, composites, and research institutions, providing tailored vacuum solutions to meet their specific needs, as you can see in our recent projects.

Certainly. We have successfully delivered projects such as bespoke vacuum chambers for transformer degassing, altitude simulation testing, and vibration testing environments.  We provide tailored vacuum solutions to meet your specific needs.  See our recent projects.

• Vacuum is generally defined as pressure below atmospheric (0.1 MPa). “High vacuum” typically refers to pressures in the range ~10⁻³ to 10⁻⁷ mbar (or ~10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹⁰ Torr) (depending on field)
• “Ultra-high vacuum” (UHV) usually is ~10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹² mbar, and “extreme high vacuum” (XHV) is below ~10⁻¹² mbar.
• The challenges (leak control, outgassing, measurement) become much more stringent as you go deeper.

Some of the common ones include:

• Turbomolecular pumps — high speed, able to handle the transition from molecular flow to deeper vacuum, often backed by a “roughing” pump.
• Diffusion pumps — use vapour jets (often oil vapour) to push gas molecules toward the exhaust.
• Cryopumps/sorption pumps — condense or adsorb gases by very low temperatures or porous materials (e.g. molecular sieves).

• Leaks (real leaks) — any tiny leak will admit gas that degrades vacuum. Even extremely small leak rates matter at high vacuum.
• Outgassing / desorption — gas trapped in the material surfaces or absorbed in walls will slowly desorb into the vacuum chamber, often dominating the gas load at deep vacuum.
• Surface cleanliness / contamination — even fingerprints or hydrocarbon residues can significantly affect vacuum.
• Seals & flanges — metallic seals (e.g. CF — ConFlat, welded seals) are preferred at high vacuum over elastomer seals, which can outgas or leak.
• Bake-out — heating (baking) the vacuum chamber and components to high temperature helps drive off adsorbed gases before operation.

• Helium leak detection is the most common method. A small amount of helium (an inert, light gas) is introduced, and a mass spectrometer or helium detector is used to sniff for helium escaping through leaks.
• For larger leaks, simpler methods like soapy water bubble testing or pressure decay can help.
• Sometimes, a “puff test” into certain valves or joints is used in diagnostic steps.

• Regularly inspect and replace seals, O-rings, gaskets.
• Change pump fluids (if oil or diffusion pumps are used) and check for contamination.
• Monitor pump performance (pump-down times, base pressure, leak rate) so deviations are spotted early.

Some common failure or degradation modes:

• Increased leak rate, e.g. due to seal failure, mechanical damage, thermal cycling.
• Contaminant back streaming (e.g. oil vapour), increasing pressure or contamination.
• Pump wear, bearing failure, rotor imbalance (for turbopumps) or pump element degradation.
• Desorption pulses (e.g. sudden release of gas from surfaces) or thermal outgassing spikes.
• Virtual leaks are gradually degrading performance over time.

• It depends heavily on chamber volume, pump speed, leak load, and outgassing load.
• The early stage is “viscous / molecular gas flow” regime; as pressure drops, molecular regime dominates, and gas removal becomes slower.
• Often, a roughing pump (mechanical pump) brings the pressure down to the crossover point, and then the high vacuum pump (turbo, diffusion) handles the deeper vacuum part.

Best practices include:

• Use materials with low outgassing and low vapour pressure (stainless steel, certain ceramics).
• Minimise internal surface area and avoid complex internal geometry, blind holes, and crevices.
• Prefer welded joints and metal seals (CF flanges, welded flanges) rather than elastomer seals where possible.
• Use baffles, cold traps, or oil traps to prevent pump back streaming.
• Plan for diagnostics (ports, gauges, viewports) but minimise their number or isolate them when not needed.

• At high vacuum and deeper regimes, even leak rates as low as 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻¹² mbar·l/s are significant.
• The acceptable leak rate depends on desired base pressure and gas load budget (i.e. how much gas the pump system can handle).
• Helium leak detection is often used to validate that leak rates are acceptable.

• Vacuum can assist in desorbing volatile contaminants, but many contaminants (e.g. organics, adsorbed layers) require activation (heat, plasma) to remove fully.
• Some materials might evolve gas or decompose under vacuum/bake, so vacuum alone may not fully “clean” everything.