This project converts a standard laboratory oven into a vacuum oven capable of curing composite laminates under vacuum pressure. The core modification drills a through-body NPT fitting into the oven wall and plumbs a vacuum line from an external pump through the fitting into the oven chamber. The vacuum bag is connected inside the chamber, allowing atmospheric pressure to consolidate the laminate during the cure cycle while the oven provides controlled heat. The result is a low-cost shop-built cure oven suitable for thermoset composite parts that require elevated-temperature vacuum cure without the expense of an autoclave.
Rear of the oven with the back plate pulled off, exposing the ceramic fiber insulation and steel shell before the fitting was installed.Back panel removed showing the NPT fitting installed through the steel body, surrounded by the oven's ceramic fiber insulation.Interior view of the NPT fitting seated in the drilled penetration, sealed against the stainless steel wall with a high temp gasket and sealant.The finished interior showing the vacuum line connected to the quick disconnect fitting, with a vacuum bagged composite part loaded and ready for a cure cycle.
