Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

What exactly is an autoclave?

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic7552.aspx

By StanTheMan - 8/24/2013 2:16:43 PM

Correct me if I'm getting this wrong but isn't it just a huge oven that keeps parts under vacuum while baking?

Cheers,
Stan
By compositepro - 8/24/2013 3:24:13 PM

no its a giant oven that has the facility for vacuum, often to pull out the volatiles as resin systems cure under vacuum things boil off at different temperatures than they would in the outside world

its other purpose is to apply external pressure which exceeds atmospheric (the limit of a vaccuum pump roughly)

think of it as a pressure cooker rather than a vacuum oven