SERIES 3540 Workhorse AM™ for DLS & SLM 3D printing processes

SERIES 3540 Workhorse AM™

The Workhorse AM™ is Centorr Vacuum Industries production-oriented vacuum furnace specifically designed for the secondary heat treating, annealing, stress‐relieving, de‐gassing, and quench cooling of 3D printed and Additive Manufactured parts. DLS (direct laser sintering) and SLM (selective laser melting) processes involve localized high‐temperature melting of small spots within the overall part and micro‐stresses can buildup up in the parts that must be eliminated in order to achieve enhanced physical properties such as fatigue strength, hardness, durability, and ductility. Annealing and stress‐relieving in a vacuum or controlled atmosphere of inert gas provides that necessary reduction in stresses. The ultra‐clean vacuum environment also assures no oxidation or decarburization, and a shiny part surface when compared to heat treatment in common atmosphere box furnaces.

Versatile Custom Designed Vacuum Furnace

The Workhorse AM™ vacuum furnace has a long list of optional equipment that makes this one of the most versatile custom designed furnaces available today. The basic design comprises of the standard hot zone rated for 1315°C with an optional upgrade to 1650°C for processing higher melting materials such as superalloys and Titanium. The Workhorse AM™ vacuum furnace even has an option for operation in positive pressure for processing specific alloys in a controlled atmosphere of pure inert gas. For quick‐quench gas cooling requirements, the furnace can be outfitted with a 2BAR gas quench cooling system consisting of a large rotary fan and water‐cooled heat exchanger. The furnace chamber is mounted on legs for a compact and highly efficient design and is a "frontloading" orientation which offers better ergonomics and temperature uniformity compared with vertical top/bottom loaders or cylindrical hot zones.

Workhorse AM™ Furnace Features

Unlike laboratory or smaller research furnaces, the Workhorse® contains features only found on high‐end heat treat furnaces These features include:

Stainless steel interior vacuum chamber with manual door clamps.
Heavy duty Molybdenum or Tungsten rod heating elements.
All‐metal Tungsten, Molybdenum/SS radiation shield hot zone for fast heating and cooling.
Excellent process cleanliness.

You won't find any refractory ceramic insulation or graphite felt/board in this hot zone.

Standard Workhorse® Vacuum Furnace Instrumentation

Standard Furnace instrumentation includes a programmable controller with PLC and PC/HMI for process control. Name brand vacuum sensors and gauges are available on all systems. CVI's "one‐button start" control system initiates a complete cycle including pumping, heating, and cooling modes. A full complement of program interlocks and safeties ensures safe and efficient furnace operation and reduces the chance of operator vacuum pumping errors, with our unique "keylock" override design. The Workhorse® vacuum furnace line is available with high‐vacuum or low vacuum pumping systems and can include Diffusion pumps, Turbomolecular pumps, or Cryogenic pumping systems, with or without cold traps and refrigerated baffles. A variety of processing environments are available including high/low vacuum and partial and/or positive pressures of Ar, He, and N2 gases, or Hydrogen process gas with our optional G‐10503A gas system.

Key Features

Cold Wall Vacuum furnace design with stainless steel inner jacket and outer jackets with baffled water cooling.
No epoxy coated surfaces on chamber interiors results in higher vacuum integrity.
High and low vacuum pumping systems including diffusion, cyrogenic, and turbomolecular.
Optional 2 BAR gas quench cooling sytem with 10HP fan and water cooled heat exchanger.
Heavy duty rod elements used instead of thin strip or foil elements which can be easily damaged. Hot zones use a 30° rule to ensure proper radiation on all sides.
Operation to 1315°C or optionally 1650°C with foursided heating elements in partial pressures from 10^‐3 torr up to 1‐3 psig positive pressures of Argon, Nitrogen, Helium, and Hydrogen.
PLC with Industrial Programmable Controller or PC system using Specview® HMI software customized by CVI for vacuum furnaces, with extensive data acquisition; and remote monitoring capabilities.
G‐10504A Partial Pressure control system (1‐1000 microns) available for suppression of low vapor pressure braze compounds, and optional G‐10505A positive pressure inert gas, or G‐10503A positive pressure Hydrogen gas system built to NFPA 86 standards.
Graphic control panel shows location of vacuum pumps and system status using indicator lamps, and provides for manual operation of the furnace.

Specifications

STD MODEL*	USABLE SIZE cu. ft. (liters)	EFFECT HOT ZONE WxHxD in (mm)
I-3024	1 (28)	12 x 12 x 12 (300 x 300 x 300)
II-3040	2 (57)	12 x 12 x 24 (300 x 300 x 610)
4060	4.5 (127)	18 x 18 x 24 (457 x 457 x 610)
4873	12 (340)	24 x 18 x 48 (610 x 457 x 1220)
5273	16 (453)	24 x 24 x 48 (610 x 610 x 1220)