Metal Casting Process
The metal casting process is very sophisticated, but it still has inherent imperfections. When liquefied and injected into a mold, metal creates gas bubbles that get trapped inside the molded form as the metal solidifies. Gas bubbles create air pockets, folds, and inclusions. Depending on their size and their random placement within the casting, these deformities can cause metal parts to leak when placed under pressure.
What is Vacuum Impregnation?
To guarantee the leak-proof functionality of modern castings, vacuum impregnation is utilized to seal porosity. Vacuum impregnation is the process that seals components without changing dimensional or functional characteristics.
- The vacuum component of the process is the removal of air that occupies the migration path commonly known as porosity in cast or pressed metals.
- The impregnation part of the process is replacing the void with a durable and stable material suitable for field of use.
Vacuum impregnation prevents the migration of fluids or gases out of or into a manufactured component:
- From contained areas to the atmosphere as in hydraulic pumps and transmissions;
- From adjacent independent passages as in oil and water circuits in an engine and graphite plates used in fuel cells;
- And from atmospheric conditions to the internals of a component as in insert or over-molded plastic connectors, wire, cable and connector assemblies.
Vacuum impregnation as an industrial process has been in commercial use for more than 60 years. For the world's largest manufacturers, it continues to be the preferred process through which to guarantee the pressure-proof, leak-proof, and corrosion-proof requirements of parts and components in critical operations.
For more detailed information on vacuum impregnation, please click on "The Basics of Vacuum Impregnation" icon on the right and download the full whitepaper.
You can also download a video featuring our latest automatic Vacuum Impregnation System by clicking on the icon on the right.