What is a vacuum pump and why does it need servicing more regularly than your typical air compressor?

Most of our working life is spent supplying and servicing air compressors. As you probably know, these are pieces of equipment that suck in air, then release it at pressure to power an almost infinite variety of tools and applications.

But what if, rather than delivering a steady supply of blown air, you need your compressor to suck instead? That’s what happens in a vacuum pump. Vacuum pumps are used for moulding applications, effectively sucking paper, card or hot plastics into the shape of a mould or frame. They’re used in lots of manufacturing applications, including by leading consumer packaging manufacturer Graphic Packaging International.

The business operates from sites across the globe, including several in the UK, and we service the Rotherham site’s vacuum pump.

Why do vacuum pumps need so much servicing?

As you can see in these images, your typical vacuum pump leads a pretty brutal life. Because it’s sucking the material into a particular shape, any loose fibres, dust and powder get sucked into the pump too. The more clogged its filters, the less effective and efficient the machine, so it takes regular servicing (every four months in this case) to keep things purring.

Although it’s too simplistic to say a vacuum pump is just an air compressor in reverse (the engineering differences are a bit more involved than that) there are sufficient similarities to make us the natural choice for carrying out that servicing.

Blake Harrison, Engineering Manager, Graphics Packaging International, told us why the business chooses Algar Air:

“I have worked with Algar Air for over a decade and within this time period they have continuously provided our company with a top quality service to keep all our compressed air equipment and vacuum pumps running smoothly, which in turn keeps the factory producing!

“We choose Algar air for installs (such as our factory ring main), service work on our three large compressors / multiple vacuum pumps and for callouts around the factory when we have pneumatic complications.

“Nothing is too much for Algar when it comes to getting us back into production. During a breakdown, they make sure they are on site just after I make the phone call to repair the issues and quickly get our machines running again.

“Over the years of working with Algar we have built a great working relationship and their extensive knowledge of all things pneumatic, high standards of work and willingness to go above and beyond for our company means that I will look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come.”

Got an air compressor or vacuum pump that needs servicing? Call us now on 0114 243 2347.