Hello all,
I wanted to share some great news regarding the vacuum pump on our exposure unit. After attempting to repair the vacuum pump, I reached out to Becker UK Ltd. for help. The pump was so obsolete they couldn’t provide documentation for it, but instead of leaving us stranded, they generously donated a brand new vacuum pump! Even better, they had it ready for me to pick up the very next day after my inquiry.
I traveled to their Southern Service Centre in Gillingham, where I was warmly welcomed by Stuart and Dan. They gave me a full demonstration of the new pump, showed me how to service it, and even gave me a ride back to the train station with the pump securely packaged. Their hospitality is greatly appreciated, and they were keen and very interested to learn about what we do at South London Makerspace.
This outstanding encounter gave me the motivation to head back to the Makerspace straight after and get everything sorted. I installed the new pump, added new H07 cables, ferrules (my thing), new vacuum hose couplers, and ran some tests. I’m happy to report the new pump is quieter, stronger, and more efficient than the old one. It pulls a much better vacuum, which will hopefully lead to crisper screen printing results.
We’re incredibly thankful for this generous donation, which has saved us a significant amount of money and resources that we can now reinvest into maintaining other equipment. While most people might not see the pump, it’s an important upgrade that will make a big difference in the screen printing area.
For reference, our old pump (VT1.5S) achieves 0.85 bar at 1.5 m³/h, while the new pump (VT4.4) achieves 0.15 bar at 4.1 m³/h. It even includes an air filter that only needs cleaning about once a year.
A huge thank you to Becker UK Ltd. , and especially to Stuart and Dan for their incredible support. Their generosity has made a big difference, and we are extremely grateful.
Tagging @directors and @silkscreentechs for awareness.
