Could the compartmentation help with a diaphragm pump? I know it isn't the best, but this little pump is the best deal I found so far.
Enough of a buffer space will settle that issue. Membrane pumps are standard wherever a modestly strong vacuum pressure is needed and not much air transport is required - using anything else for an easel would not save money, and nonetheless have more issues and worse results.
Sevo,
How to create buffer space and what volume is needed for this purpose and size?
It requires very little to draw down even a print this size. More often people make the mistake of having too much pull. Diaphragm pumps pulsate enough to make most easels jitter a little. You can see this under an easel grain magnifier. But don't expect much help from Thomas. They're out of business for all practical purposes unless you're a mfg yourself. Even an ordinary household little vac will pull paper flat, though I
can't recommend this route because you'll be recharging the batteries way too often. Regular home vac cleaners throw a lot of dust around unless you bring the hose in thru the wall and have the unit itself outside.
You'd need a bleeder valve or handle too to reduce pressure. Variable power HEPA vacs are nice but not exactly cheap.
A 32x45" easel 2 inches thick has plenty of volume to even out pulsations from any vacuum pump. It could be considerably thinner and work as well. The old vacuum cleaner I used years ago on a small easel drew maybe 5 PSI vacuum. This would mean over three tons of suction between the front and back of your easel. It sounds like a lot, but with spacers every few inches apart within the easel, there should be no problem. That pressure is exerted merely in trying to draw the front and back of the easel together, and to some extend, drawing the paper down onto the easel. The more powerful pump on almost as large a vacuum table for graphic arts used a 1 quart canning jar to even out any variations and perhaps to catch some dust in a set-up with short hoses.
The vacuum pump I have for my easel sounds just a vacuum cleaner. It does move too much air in the room, so I don't use it. Someday maybe when I get a longer hose.
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