Q Compound very handy stuff

Picture the scene, it is 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and a seal on a key piece of vacuum equipment has just failed. The production line has stopped and your boss is unsurprisingly quite keen for you to fix the problem pronto. To add to the fun it is not possible to get a replacement seal until Monday and you’ve got a dinner reservation with your better half for that evening. What do you do?

Step up Apiezon Q compound, manufactured by M&I Materials, it looks a bit like window putty, but is great as a temporary vacuum joint sealant! This Apiezon product has proved to get more engineers and scientists out of sticky vacuum situations than anything else on earth!! OK that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Q compound really is remarkably handy stuff. It is easy to handle, has a low vapour pressure and can be applied to lots of different surfaces, without the need for heating or curing. As it is ideal as a temporary vacuum joint sealant, it can then be removed again once the problem is permanently fixed by simply pulling it away, if there is any residue left then a quick wipe over with a hydrocarbon solvent will clean it off.

Since it is so easy to handle Apiezon Q compound is also great if you have an experiment that needs frequent adjustments. For example it can be used to seal glass joints for short or long durations of time and then when the experiment needs changing the Q compound can be easily removed, the experiment adjusted and more Q applied to re-seal. No need to spend time cleaning off sticky grease.

The only thing to bear in mind with Apiezon Q compound is that it is designed for the rough vacuum range, down to around 10^-5 Torr, and for use between -10 and 30°C. If your equipment operates outside this temperature range or at lower vacuum then there is sure to be an Apiezon product that will do the job. Just get in touch with the friendly Apiezon technical support team and they’ll advise you of the best product for your application.