Heat treatment of metals is a very important industrial process that involves the use of heat to achieve various desired metallurgical properties. One of the most preferred methods of heat treatment for various kinds of metallic components is the vacuum heat treatment. Vacuum heat treatment involves the use of furnaces that are specifically designed for this purpose.
What is a Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace?
A Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace is type of furnace used in metallurgy processes to perform heat treatment procedures in a vacuum environment. The furnace is designed to operate at extremely high temperatures, up to 3000°C or more, and under very low atmospheric pressure conditions. This equipment is used for heat treatment of different types of metallic workpieces to enhance their mechanical properties such as hardness, fatigue resistance, ductility and corrosion resistance.
Components of a Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace
A typical Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace comprises of several main components:
- Heating Chamber: This is the chamber where the workpiece is placed inside for the heat treatment process. In order to achieve vacuum environment, the heating chamber must be air-tight and well sealed.
- Power Supply: This component provides electrical energy to the heating elements within the furnace chamber.
- Cooling System: The cooling system is responsible for minimizing any thermal damage to the workpiece, including potential warping or cracking.
- Control Systems: The control systems includes temperature controllers, vacuum meters and other sensors that allow operators to regulate and monitor the heat treatment process.
How Does a Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace Work?
The Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace operates by first removing all gases present inside the heating chamber through a vacuum pump. Then, heat is generated either through electrical resistance heating or induction heating. Once the desired temperature is reached, the workpiece is subjected to varying degrees of low pressure depending on the requirements of the particular heat treating process used. This process is carried out according to specific heat treating recipe or protocol.
The vacuum environment ensures that the workpiece and any surrounding protective gases or inert materials are exposed to pure, dry heat in order to avoid contamination during the heat treatment process.
Applications of Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace
Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnaces can be used in various applications from aerospace, automotive, and medical fields to even nuclear industry. Some of the Common heat treatments that can be done with Vacuum Heat Treat Furnaces include tempering, annealing, stress relieving, hardening, carburizing, and nitriding.
Below are the best 5 vacuum heat treatment furnace suppliers:
1, Lexusvacuum
Website: https://www.lexusvacuum.com/
Since 2018, Lexus vacuum has been a top-level professional trader and exporter of vacuum equipment. Aside from offering machines, they also provide solutions and services to their clients. With years of experience and resources, they have gained the trust of thousands of clients at home and abroad.
A number of high standard products and services have been provided to customers around the world by Lexus vacuum. They have researched various kinds of vacuum drying ovens, vacuum impregnation, vacuum casting, metal melting furnaces, metal casting equipment, and heat treatment ovens for the past 10 years.
Lexus’ vacuum team is made up of talented, experienced engineers with years of experience in vacuum equipment manufacturing.
Through its extensive network of global locations, partnerships, and agents in America, Europe, and Asia, Lexus vacuum will continue to provide metal melting and heating solutions throughout the globe.
2, Solarmfg
Website: https://solarmfg.com/
Solar Manufacturing manufactures vacuum heat treating furnaces that are designed and built to be the most energy efficient, cost effective, and highest quality furnaces on the market. The team at Solar Manufacturing has decades of experience solving the most challenging heat treating problems for their customers. In conjunction with their affiliate Solar Atmospheres, they continue to develop new vacuum processing applications and improve vacuum furnace technology.
3, Ipsenglobal
Website: https://ipsenglobal.com/
Developing excellent thermal processing skills allows you to push the boundaries of what is possible: whether you are developing better medical implants, building better cars, or developing more efficient jet engines or space exploration. With more than 75 years of experience, their global team of heat treaters works together to ensure that manufacturers and commercial heat treaters are confident in their ability to innovate.
4, Secowarwick
Website: https://www.secowarwick.com/
The cornerstones of the SECO/WARWICK Group are distinct brands and companies, either acquired or built from scratch, and for this reason, we can say that the roots of the SECO/WARWICK Group reach as far as the USA, Germany, China, India, Brazil, France, Canada, and Poland. In order to form the SECO/WARWICK Group, three brands have been combined, SECO/WARWICK, SECO/VACUUM, and Retech, and the power of history has been combined with the experience of Elterma (founded in 1950, acquired in 2003), Camlaw, and Retech (founded in 1963, acquired in 2010).
5, Vacfurnace
Website: https://www.vacfurnace.com/
Since twenty years, SIMUWU vacuum furnace has specialized in manufacturing industrial vacuum furnaces. The company was established by a few experienced engineers who have been working in the heat treatment industry and vacuum furnace manufacturing factories for over twenty years. SIMUWU has provided more and more high quality products and services to their customers around the world because of its advanced technology, powerful manufacturing capabilities, and professional engineering service.
From horizontal loading type to large-scale vertical bottom loading type furnace, they have researched various kinds of vacuum furnaces in the past few years.
SIMUWU team consists of many experienced and talented engineers who have worked in vacuum equipment manufacturing industry for many years. As a result, they have made a wide range of vacuum furnaces since their establishment. They currently produce 20 types of products, including vacuum quenching furnaces, vacuum tempering furnaces, vacuum annealing furnaces, vacuum sintering furnaces, vacuum induction melting furnaces, and monocrystalline silicon furnaces. Their products have been applied to many industries, such as the aviation industry, aerospace industry, rail industry, automotive industry, mechanical industry, mould industry, electronics industry, and scientific research industry.
