Description

Centorr/Vacuum Industries revolutionary Belt Furnace design is unlike any other continuous furnace on the market. Introduced in the early 1990's, this design combines the fast throughput of a continuous furnace, with the high temperature capability of a refractory metal or graphite-lined hot zone.

The cold wall chamber and watercooled jail design ensures low ambient temperatures around the furnace, even when operating at temperatures up to 2000°C.

Features

  • Cold Wall Vacuum furnace design with stainless steel inner and outer jackets with baffled water cooling.
  • Operation to 2000°C. Temperature uniformity of ± 5°C in uniform effective hot zone. Specials to 2800°C.
  • Repeatable temperature profiles on every component produced.
  • PLC with Industrial Programmable Controller or PC system using Intellution℡ FIX32 HMI software customized by Centorr/Vacuum Industries for continuous furnaces, with extensive data acquisition, and remote operation capabilities.
  • Patented Tungsten mesh belt design with Molybdenum, Tungsten, or Tantalum metal hot zones.
  • Novel Silicon Carbide link belt design for use with Graphite Board hot zone.
  • Inert gas system or positive pressure Hydrogen gas system with burn-off towers at entrance and exit tunnels for reducing atmospheres.
  • Cold wall design offers rapid heat up and cool down times (2-3 hours from RT - 2000°C) compared with 3-5 days for heat-up/cool-down of refractory hot wall units.
  • Large cycle time reduction translating to excellent throughput. Typical 15 hr "door-to-door" batch furnace cycles can be reduced to 2-4 hr continuous furnace cycles with improved quality.
  • Thin, low mass insulation system does not trap moisture while the system is cold, eliminating days of "conditioning" to control furnace dew point below -60°F.
  • System designed for quick and easy access to the furnace hot zone for repairs and preventative maintenance.
  • The smaller work cross section in a continuous furnace offers minimal thermal inertia compared to large batch furnaces, shortening cycle times.

Specifications

STD MODEL*2BF4BF6BF8BF44BF66BF124BF
Uniform Effective Hot Zone
WxHxL in (mm)
2x0.5x8
(50x13x200)
4x0.62x8
(100x16x200)
6x1x36
(150x16x200)
8x1x48-72
(200x25x1220)
(200x25x1828)
4x4x36-96
(100x100x914)
(100x100x2440)
6x6x36-96
(150x150x914)
(150x150x2440)
12x4x36-96
(305x100x914)
(305x100x2440)
Molybdenum Hot Zone1550°C (2822°F)
Tungsten Hot Zone1800°C (3270°F) Silicon Carbide Belt - 2000°C (3630°F) in Ar, N2/1800°C (3270°F) in Hydrogen W Mesh Belt
Graphite Hot Zone1800°C (3270°F) Silicon Carbide Belt - 2200°C (3990°F) Graphite Cloth Fabric Belts - Specials to 2800°C (5072°F)
Belt Speed0.4" - 6"/min (10-152mm/min)
Inert Gas Flow (slpm)14287090140160220
Approx. Power Supply Size Inert (Hydrogen)** KVA25
(30)
30
(35)
120
(150)
200
(240)
200
(240)
240
(300)
350
N/A
Water Requirements gpm (liters)7
(26)
9
(34)
35
(133)
55
(208)
55
(208)
68
(257)
80
(303)
Florr Space ft (m)4x10
(1.2x3.1)
4x10
(1.2x3.1)
5x14
(1.5x4.2)
6x16
(1.8x4.9)
6x16
(1.8x4.9)
6 x16
(1.8x4.9)
7x16
(2.1x4.9)

*Custom sizes available upon request.

**Power is for shortest hot zone listed.

Materials Processed

  • Refractory Metals
  • Powders
  • Si3N4
  • Ceramics
  • MIM components

Optional Features

  • CE / VDE / TüV / CSA approvals and other non-U.S. standards for compliance.
  • Rigid or Flexible water cooled busswork for improved maintenance and best electrical efficiency.
  • Manual rotameter or Mass Flow Controllers for precise, repeatable gas flow.
  • Optional Binder Removal System consisting of thermal oxidizer in dedicated debind zone with inner retort designed for durability, ease of replacement and low cost for efficient binder removal.
  • Automatic loading and unloading conveyor system with optical proximity switch sensors for notification of work boats exiting the furnace.
  • Improved densification, minimized weight loss (dissociation), and preferred crystallinity are all benefits in ceramic processing.