Rapid cycling batch furnace from Carbolite improves the production of abrasives
Carbolite
Rapid cycling batch furnace
A rapid cycling batch furnace from Carbolite has enabled a manufacturer of advanced ceramic materials to improve the production of abrasives at its Gloucester facility.
The company’s abrasives division had needed to replace some large raised hearth furnaces that had reached the end of their useful lifespan.
The new furnace needed to be capable of de-binding and sintering 100kg of graphite matrix with a ceramic powder inclusion at up to 1,000°C under a reducing atmosphere of nitrogen and hydrogen.
In addition, it was essential that a 600 x 1,200mm Inconel 601 retort was used to contain the nitrogen/hydrogen atmosphere.
Carbolite’s solution includes Inconel-coated catch trays to capture any process material that might fall from the load.
Key benefits of product application
- A wheeled load-handling device featuring a jacking lift mechanism has enabled fast turnaround times between process batches.
- A three-zone control system — compatible with the NADCAP 2750 D, Class 2 aerospace standard — is ensuring uniform heating of the load.
- Faster cooling of the retort at the end of the process has been achieved using an electrical lifting device that progressively raises the insulated roof of the furnace to allow heat to escape more quickly.
