What does Vacuum Oven mean?
A vacuum oven is a tool used to dry out marijuana after harvesting to ensure a higher quality product, less potential for mold or mildew, and a shorter time to market. It can also be used to dry out virtually any other type of herb, fruit or vegetable, as well. A vacuum drying oven is recommended for delicate drying processes, for example, drying smaller items and/or the removal of flammable solvents.
In cannabis processing, vacuum ovens are also used to strip concentrates (oils) of residual solvents such as butane and CO2 before they are put on the market. For this purpose, a vacuum oven uses a combination of heat and negative pressure (vacuum technology) that ends up stripping the concentrated material of any residual solvents that were used in the extraction process.
More Info On Vacuum Oven
In order for cannabis to be used, it must be harvested from the parent plant, and then dried. Doing this naturally can be time consuming and frustrating, even if the grower is located in a hot, arid area that is well-suited to natural drying. For growers in areas with lower temperatures and higher humidity levels, natural drying can be impossible.
Vacuum ovens are oven designed to operate at relatively low temperatures with an exhaust port that vents moisture away from the plants being dried. The oven also creates a low-pressure area inside, which reduces the temperature at which liquid water transforms to a gas.
This speeds the time needed for drying, and allows drying to take place at a lower temperature than would otherwise be possible. In addition to drying cannabis, a vacuum oven can be used to dry pretty much any other type of plant, from fruits and vegetables to herbs.
It’s important to note that vacuum technology such as that incorporated into a vacuum oven, is used heavily in many other industries. For instance, it’s used in the aerospace industry to test how different materials, products, and tools will perform in space. It’s used to test medical tools and devices, and plays an important role in electronics design and development, as well.
Vacuum ovens create a low pressure environment that minimizes oxidation during drying, resulting in better buds than a regular household oven could produce.
This definition was written in the context of Cannabis