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Find your ideal vacuum pumps

How to find your ideal vacuum pump in 4 easy steps

1. Select your market.
Each industry has specific requirements when it comes to finding the most suitable vacuum or overpressure technology. By selecting your market, you will be shown all the matching Busch products.

2. Select your vacuum or overpressure application.
Specifying your application allows you to target solutions that are a perfect match for your particular requirements.

3. Optional: Select product type, technology or product series.
Vacuum and overpressure experts who already know the product type or technology they need, can narrow the search down. You can even select a specific product series if you are familiar with the Busch product range.

4. Optional: Specify technical parameters.
You know precisely, which vacuum or overpressure level is required for your application? In this case, you can further refine the product search using specific technical parameters like pumping speed or volume flow, sometimes also referred to as flow rate.

Technical considerations for selecting vacuum pumps

Vacuum ranges

What is referred to as vacuum in industrial application technology is – to be physically correct actually negative pressure. This includes everything below the average atmospheric pressure at sea level, which is 1,013 millibar (mbar). Pressure decreases steadily as the altitude increases. The weather also has an influence on this. However, these pressure differentials are not very large and do not play a role from a technical perspective. In the context of vacuum technology, the assumption is therefore simplified to an atmospheric or ambient pressure of 1,000 millibar or 1 bar. Vacuum or negative pressure thus prevails between zero and 1,000 millibar. The different vacuum levels that play a role in vaccum technology are typically devided into the four ranges listed in the table below:

Vacuum category
Vacuum range (ISO)
Vacuum range (US)
Rough/Low Vacuum
1000 to 1 mbar
760 to 0.75 Torr
Medium/fine vacuum
1 to 10-3 mbar
0.75 to 7.5-3 Torr
High Vacuum
10-3 to 10-7 mbar
7.5-3 to 7.5-7 Torr
Ultra-High Vacuum
10-7 mbar
7.5-7 Torr

Types of vacuum pumps

Based on the different technologies, we distinguish between eight types of vacuum pumps:

Oil-Lubricated Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps
The rotary vane technology enables a technically simple structure of the vacuum pumps. The consistently high vacuum level in continuous operation is guaranteed through circulating oil lubrication, perfectly coordinated materials and state-of-the-art and precise manufacturing. The standard oil separator ensures clean and oil-free exhaust thanks to its sophisticated extractor system with integrated oil return. When fitted with an optional gas ballast valve, even large amounts of vapour can be processed. A non-return valve in the inlet flange prevents air from flowing back into the vacuum chamber when the vacuum pump is switched off.

Dry Claw Vacuum Pumps
With claw vacuum pumps, two claw-shaped rotors turn in opposite direction inside the housing. Due to the shape of these claw rotors, the air or gas is sucked in, compressed and discharged. The claw rotors do not come into contact either with each other nor with the cylinder in which they are rotating. Tight clearances between the claw rotors and the housing optimize the internal seal and guarantee a consistently high pumping speed. A synchronization gearbox ensures exact synchronization of the claw rotors.

Dry Screw Vacuum Pumps
Dry screw vacuum pumps operate with two screw rotors rotating in opposite directions. The pumping medium is trapped between the individual screw-shaped rotors, compressed and then transported to the gas discharge. During the compression process, the screw rotors do not come into contact with each other, or the cylinder. This means there is no need for lubrication or operating fluids in the compression chamber.

Vacuum Boosters
Within the housing of vacuum boosters, two lobe rotors rotate synchronously. Due to the special profile of the rotating lobes and their precise manufacturing, they do not come into contact with each other or the housing. This makes it possible to pump a medium without the need of any operating fluids. The two lobe rotors are driven by a gear pair located on the shaft ends of the gearbox and separated from the compression chamber.

Dry-Running Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps
These vacuum pumps work in accordance to the proven rotary vane technology. Thanks to self-lubricating rotor vanes, no operating fluid is necessary. The compression takes place in a completely dry process. A consistently high vacuum level in continuous operation is guaranteed through perfectly coordinated materials, the special graphite vanes in the compression chamber, effective heat discharge and the state-of-the-art and precise manufacturing.

Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps
Liquid ring vacuum pumps have an eccentrically mounted impeller. The liquid ring is formed by the operating fluid (usually water) rotating concentrically inside the housing. The process gas enters through the inlet, moves between the impeller blades and is compressed before being discharged through the outlet, along with a certain amount of operating fluid. Liquid ring vacuum pumps can be operated as a simple continuous flow system, or as a partial or total recirculation system.

Scroll Vacuum Pumps
Scroll vacuum pumps consist of both a fixed and an orbiting scroll. As the orbiting scroll moves, voids are created at the inlet of the pump, drawing in the gas. Through the movement of the rotor, the gas is continuously compressed until it is finally discharged.

Diffusion Vacuum Pumps
The diffusion vacuum pump construction consists of an oil boiler connected to a central multi-stage jet assembly. The heated oil is ejected from the jet assembly at supersonic speeds and the process gas molecules are entrained in the oil jet flow and transferred through the pump body by the heavier oil molecules' momentum. This process moves the gas molecules from the low pressure inlet flange to the foreline vacuum port of the diffusion pump, where the oil is condensed and returned to the boiler and the process gas molecules are removed by the backing pump.

FAQ

What are vacuum pumps?

Most modern vacuum pumps are positive displacement pumps. They remove air molecules, or other gases, from a vacuum chamber to create vacuum.
In evacuation processes, vacuum pumps with different operating principles are used. From a technical point of view, they differ significantly from each other and all have their own specific advantages. For each application, it is therefore necessary to evaluate which type of vacuum generation is most suitable.
Are you looking for an industrial vacuum pump for rough vacuum applications like food packaging? Or rather searching for a vacuum pump for the semiconductor industry that operates in the medium and high vacuum range? Our product finder will guide you through our extensive product portfolio that comprises vacuum generators for each vacuum level and all technical requirements.

What are the main uses for vacuum pumps?

Vacuum pumps and vacuum systems are used in different fields of industry, and for a variety of applications. Each of these applications requires a particular vacuum level.
In the food industry, in metallurgy or for drying, or distillation processes, for example, rough vacuum is normally all that is needed. In particle acceleration, on the other hand, an ultra-high vacuum is necessary.

Common vacuum applications are:

What are popular Busch vacuum pumps?

Busch Vacuum Solutions offers an extensive product portfolio that draws on the widest range of vacuum and overpressure technologies. We provide the optimum solution for all applications that require operating pressures ranging from atmospheric pressure to ultra-high vacuum.

Our popular R5 rotary vane vacuum pumps, for example, are the industry standard for food packaging.

Vacuum pumps, blowers and compressors from Busch include:

R5 oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps, the market-leader in vacuum packaging.

  • Ultimate pressure: 0.05–20 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 3–1600 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 4.8–1800 m³/h

HUCKEPACK once-through oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps for the toughest of applications.
  • Ultimate pressure: 0.5 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 160–630 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 190–760 m³/h

MINK dry claw vacuum pumps and compressors, ideal for industrial applications where constant vacuum or overpressure and oil-free operation are essential.
  • Ultimate pressure: 20–200 hPa (mbar)
  • Overpressure: 2 bar (g)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 40–950 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 40–1150 m³/h

COBRA Industry dry screw vacuum pumps for industrial applications which require reliable and contaminant-free extraction of gases and vapors.
  • Ultimate pressure: 0.01–1 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 110–2000 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 130–2500 m³/h

COBRA Semicon dry screw vacuum pumps for demanding processes such as semiconductor, solar module and flat panel production, and numerous industrial coating applications.
  • Ultimate pressure: 0.001–0.03 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 70–7400 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 85–7400 m³/h

TORRI multi-stage rotary lobe vacuum pumps for pump-down of load lock chambers.
  • Ultimate pressure: 100–600 hPa m³/h, 0.01–0.001 hPa (mbar)

SECO dry-running rotary vane vacuum pumps and compressors for industrial applications where rapid, clean vacuum or compressed air is required.
  • Ultimate Pressure: 100–150 hPa (mbar)
  • Overpressure: 0.6–1.5 bar(g)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 3–124 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 3.6–146 m³/h

DOLPHIN liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors, designed for continuous operation.
  • Ultimate pressure: 33–160 hPa (mbar)
  • Overpressure: 4 bar (g)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 25–26800 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 31–26800 m³/h

SAMOS side channel blowers for all applications, where a pulsation-free volume flow is required.
  • Differential pressure: Δp max.
  • Vacuum: -490 hPa (mbar)
  • Overpressure: +670 hPa (mbar)
  • Volume flow: 40–2640 m³/h

ZEBRA two-stage oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps for industrial and analytical processes.
  • Ultimate pressure: 6.7 · 10–3 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 2.4–80 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 2.9–95 m³/h

FOSSA scroll vacuum pumps, perfectly suited for conveying gases without leakage.
  • Ultimate pressure: 0.01–0.025 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 15–35 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 18–42 m³/h

RANGU diffusion vacuum pumps for high vacuum applications where high pumping speeds or gas throughputs are required.
  • Ultimate pressure: < 7·10–8 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed: 10,000–28,000 l/s

TYR rotary lobe blowers, providing constant differential pressures for wastewater treatment, pneumatic conveying or fish farming applications.
  • Differential pressure: ∆p max.
  • Vacuum: -500 hPa (mbar)
  • Overpressure: +1000 hPa (mbar)
  • Volume flow: 150–4,380 m³/h

PANDA and PUMA vacuum boosters increase the pumping speed and ultimate pressure of vacuum pumps.
  • Differential pressure: ∆p max. 100 hPa (mbar)
  • Nominal pumping speed 50 Hz: 250–9535 m³/h
  • Nominal pumping speed 60 Hz: 300–11675 m³/h