I know for prepregs you need to have the item hooked up to a vac while it baking… is it possible to vacuum seal the item, then clamp the tube to hold vacuum and throw it in the oven that way? or does it need constant vacuum? … Ive been trying to do research on vacuum ovens but cant find much if anything at all… aside from lab ovens
you need an oven with vacuum hoses inside so you can attach the part.
Where does one purchase said oven… A Google search did not provide what I needed
The average hobbiest would usually build one. They are actually quite easy to build, and relatively cheap depending on how involved you want to be.
That said, it’s POSSIBLE to cure OOA pre-pregs in a standard oven. Just don’t expect flawless results.
Build your own oven… get a PID controller, i got mine on ebay for like $150. I use some insulation foam and two heat guns to run a 4’x4’x8’ oven. I just got some 4" thick foam and am going to rebuild the oven so it’s more efficient. but the rigged one I had from 1.5" foam worked good. I’m going to turn that one into a smaller oven for test and small parts.
Sammy , what temp does your oven go to ?
Do you have details on the PID ?
I take my oven to 250F
The PID controller i bought was from ebay. It’s not the best out there and is sorta weird to program but, keeps the temps petty much right on the nose. Came with the thermocouple and relay for $99
For that price I figured it was worth the risk, and it it seems to work pretty well for me so far. I haven’t done much curing as late… need to rebuild the oven and setup a second smaller one. I also just got a 3d printer so I’ve been working on my next project and hopefully will be curing some carbon soon.
250f is great , what sort of construction did you do for the oven ? I just don’t wanna set my workshop on fire lol
Ta for the link , looks like quite a neat unit
This is a good forum if youre looking to make your own oven: http://forum.caswellplating.com/forum/powder-coating-questions/oven-building-forum
I built mine for ~$800 Im guessing including tool i purchased for the build. Caswell oven build forum was a major resource and other ideas from all over the net.
if you want to buy look at ted’s fabrication. They make powder coating ovens.
Are those oven elements? Do you have a fan inside ?
Is that just braided fibreglass sleeve as the door seal?
4x1500W elements
That is an oven gasket. It was actually the most expensive part of the build…