BF SERIES
Belt Furnace
Combines the fast throughput of a continuous furnace, with the high temperature capability of a refractory metal or graphite-lined hot zone.
BF SERIES Belt Furnace
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 water-cooled 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* | 2BF | 4BF | 6BF | 8BF | 44BF | 66BF | 124BF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Zone | 1550°C (2822°F) | ||||||
Tungsten Hot Zone | 1800°C (3270°F) Silicon Carbide Belt - 2000°C (3630°F) in Ar, N2/1800°C (3270°F) in Hydrogen W Mesh Belt | ||||||
Graphite Hot Zone | 1800°C (3270°F) Silicon Carbide Belt - 2200°C (3990°F) Graphite Cloth Fabric Belts - Specials to 2800°C (5072°F) | ||||||
Belt Speed | 0.4" - 6"/min (10-152mm/min) | ||||||
Inert Gas Flow (slpm) | 14 | 28 | 70 | 90 | 140 | 160 | 220 |
Approx. Power Supply Size Inert (Hydrogen)** KVA | 25 (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.
Contact Us
800.962.8631
603.595.7233