I’m sure that the technique of using vacuum to assist in holding two items together during a gluing process has been around as long as the materials which could produce an air tight seal (vacuum bag or bladder) have been in existence.  Probably since polymers were first produced in the early 20th century.  Vacuum gluing, as I’ll term it here, seems to be in widespread use in the musical instrument building and furniture building industries.

You may ask, “What does this have to do with EXAIR?” Since EXAIR has been producing our E-Vac vacuum generator products, we have been running into various applications for which we found there was a need to produce a high level of vacuum (say -21″ to -27″ Hg range). The most recent and interesting application for me as a musician was in building guitars.

It is my understanding after speaking to one, that there are quite a lot of custom guitar builders out there who need a way to create force between the bridge and sound board of a guitar to ensure proper gluing between the two components.

The fixture consists of a frame that incorporates an air tight membrane and a port to which a vacuum source can be applied. This is where the E-vac comes into play. Up until now, the vacuum was created by a dedicated, mechanical vacuum pump. But now, the E-Vac can be connected to a small, roll-around compressor to produce the necessary vacuum to suck the membrane down around the bridge and create the needed down-force without clamping the whole instrument body.

My point is that the vacuum gluing process is not new by any means, but how you generate the vacuum could be.  It can also be more economical with our prices starting at just $58.00 US.

So, if your business or hobby involves gluing processes that could benefit from vacuum technology, please take a look at our E-vac vacuum generators or call us. We would be glad to help figure things out for your application.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com