Ok so I work for the military and they asked me to pick them a gast pump. Needs to be 110v, as light as possible and quiet possible. And left running until full cure. It will be used for vacuum bagging and resin infusion. Please list the top 5 you would choose. Thanks guys. I’m swamped changing a wing spar and on top of that I’m confused on all the specs of all the pumps lol
I would take this one, for its max vacuum achieved. All others achieve less vacuum.
At least this one should be able to do 15 mbar abs, if there are no leaks, so you are able to boil off moisture before infusion.
I would also like a vacuum regulator, preferably lossless, like this (wrong) one:
http://www.gastmfg.com/product_detail.aspx?ProductID=257&ProductTypeID=46
but the above link is to a PRESSURE regulator. You also have these for vacuum. This allows you to regulate the vacuum.
Another option is a switch, but the switch made by (for) Gast is not capable of deep vacuums.
And I would like to see a filter. Vacuum pumps are huge vacuum cleaners, you do not want to know what you sometimes find in a filter. Consult Gast on which one you would need. (preferably a metal housing, not glass)
And a gauge would be nice…
My first vac pump was a new Gast 0765 series http://www.gastmfg.com/product_detail.aspx?ProductID=133&ProductTypeID=21 it did great for many years and it still goes but is just kept as an emergency backup.
I never thought it was very quiet though. This series is a separate drive so you just need to find a motor with the right RPM, I got a used washing machine motor.
Now my main pump is a Rietschle, bought used it works well but the motor is also noisy.
I can’t afford, but http://www.vacmobiles.com/ has a very good reputation. They make ready to use carts with everything you need for composite work, i.e. not only the pump but also a regulator, valves, and a resin trap. And they ship very fast and have excellent service.
I can’t recommend Vacmobile’s products enough.
I can second the Vacmobile products, they are great! Bloody good!