Operation; Preparing The Impregnation; Check Vacuum Chamber; Impregnation - struers Epovac Gebrauchsanweisung

Preparing the Impregnation

Check vacuum chamber

Impregnation

Epovac
Instruction Manual

2. Operation

Place the clean and dry specimen in a suitable mounting cup. If
there is more than one, place them symmetrically around the
center of the embedding chamber.
Check that the vacuum chamber and the cover before operation
are not cracked or have fissures, or they might implode when
exposed to vacuum.
Check that the seals are clean and undamaged.
Mount the vacuum chamber.
Mount the cover.
Press the impregnation hose through the rubber plug. Put the
impregnation hose through the hose clip and place the rubber
plug in the pivot joint of the cover.
Tighten the hose clip and open for the compressed air (model
with pump) or start the vacuum pump (model without pump). Set
the vacuum valve to max. The actual vacuum can be read on the
vacuum meter.
NB Before impregnation the specimens should be cleaned and
degreased.
For embedding, Struers manufactures a number of mounting cups
that can be used without releasing agent.
When the specimens have been under vacuum for an appro-
priate time - from a couple of minutes for not very porous
specimens up to half an hour for very porous specimens - the
impregnation can begin:
Place the beaker with the ready-mixed impregnation liquid in the
stand. Check that the hose is near the bottom of the beaker, or
air may be sucked into the system and create splashing in the
vacuum chamber.
Turn the hose so that it points down into one of the mounting
cups and open slowly for the hose clip, until the impregnation
liquid runs in an appropriate flow.
When the specimen is covered with impregnation liquid, turn off
the flow, move the hose to the next mounting cup and open the
hose clip. Go on like this until all mounting cups have been filled
up.
Close the hose clip and turn the vacuum valve to min.
Remove the vacuum chamber with cover and leave the
specimens for hardening.
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