Vacuum Furnace

vacuum furnace

A vacuum furnace is a type of furnace that surrounds the material being processed with a vacuum. This prevents oxidation, heat loss through convection, and contamination. The furnace can heat materials like metals and ceramics to high temperatures up to 3,000 °C with select materials. The vacuum level and maximum furnace temperature depend on the melting points and vapor pressures of the heated materials. Vacuum furnaces are used for processes like annealing, brazing, sintering, and heat treatment. The process can be computer-controlled, ensuring repeatability, and the product is low in contamination and high in purity.

We have the best Vacuum Furnace solutions for your unique requirements. Our custom vacuum furnaces are engineered to meet almost any customer requirement. We offer a range of shapes and sizes, multiple hot zone options, and manual or automatic flow controls. Our extensive portfolio virtually guarantees there is an appropriate standard solution that will meet your needs. We build vacuum furnaces operating at pressures as low as 10-11 Torr (mBar) with an operating range from room temperature to a maximum temperature of 3000 °C (5432°F) for our tungsten hot zones and 2200 °C (3992°F) for our graphite hot zones in a rough vacuum level (10-2 Torr/mbar).

Applications of Vacuum Furnace

Annealing
Brazing
Sintering
Heat treatment
Hardening
Tempering
Aging
Nitriding
Carburizing
Quenching

Advantages of Vacuum Furnace

Allows heating of metals to high temperatures with minimal contamination problems due to the absence of oxygen.
Provides uniform high temperatures and precise temperature control for producing high-quality materials with consistent properties.
Low contamination from carbon, oxygen, and other gases due to the vacuum atmosphere.
Quick quenching or cooling of the product is possible to shorten process cycle times.
Computer-controlled to ensure repeatable performance for consistent quality output.
Can heat materials up to temperatures as high as 3,000 °C (5,432 °F) with select materials.
Commercially available vacuum pumping systems can reach vacuum levels as low as 1×10−11 torrs (1.3×10−11 mbar; 1.3×10−14 atm).
Vacuum pumping systems remove low temperature by-products from the process materials during heating, resulting in a higher purity end product.
Used for a wide range of industrial processes, such as heat treatment, sintering, brazing, and annealing.
Typically made of refractory materials, such as graphite or ceramic, that can withstand the extreme temperatures and vacuum environment.

Our Vacuum Furnace is the perfect solution for your unique projects. Our extensive product line provides a standard solution to fit your needs. However, for more unconventional applications, our custom design service comes in handy. Our custom vacuum furnaces are engineered for your specific project, no matter how unconventional it may be. These furnaces are designed for multiple processes, available in vertical or horizontal loading, and come in a range of shapes and sizes. In addition, we offer automatic flow controls and multiple hot zone options. The best part? Our Vacuum Furnace is very advantageous in terms of price and offers a complete customisation service.

FAQ

What Is A Vacuum Furnace Used For?

A vacuum furnace is used for high-temperature processing of materials in a controlled environment without any contamination. It operates by surrounding the product with a vacuum, which prevents oxidation and heat loss from the product through convection. This furnace is commonly used for heat treatment of steel alloys at temperatures below 1200 °C. High-temperature vacuum furnaces can reach temperatures up to 3000°C and are used for industrial processes such as sintering, brazing, annealing, and heat treatment with high consistency and low contamination. The ability to achieve uniform heating across the entire workpiece is a key benefit of using a high-temperature vacuum furnace.

What Is The Process Of A Vacuum Furnace?

The process of a vacuum furnace involves loading the parts into the chamber and creating a vacuum inside it by utilizing a vacuum pump. The next step is to heat the parts using temperature controls, which can reach between 1,500 and 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit. This process eliminates the possibility of oxidation and contamination, resulting in a higher purity end product. After heating, the parts are cooled and finished before being removed from the vacuum furnace. The furnace consists of various components, including the vacuum system, furnace shell, electric heating element, temperature controls, power supply system, and transport apparatus.

What Gas Is Used In A Vacuum Furnace?

Different gases can be used in a vacuum furnace depending on the application. In general, vacuum furnaces can work with gases or mixtures such as Argon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon Monoxide, Helium, among others. The use of these gases allows for heat treatment in a defined, mostly non-oxidizing atmosphere, which is required for various applications such as vacuum soldering and brazing, vacuum annealing, and sintering. Additionally, it is possible to work with a defined oxygen concentration that is different from the air composition.

What Is The Heating Element Used In A Vacuum Furnace?

The heating element in a vacuum furnace is critical to its proper functioning, and is dependent on factors such as maximum operating temperature, power load, partial pressure and quench gases, and life expectancy. Vacuum furnaces are heated by electric resistance elements made from a variety of materials, including high-temperature metallic alloys such as stainless steel, nickel-chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, or of non-metallic materials such as graphite and silicon carbide. The choice of material for the heating element is important in maximizing its longevity, reliability, efficiency, and ultimately the process results.

Menu

Get Instant Support

vacuum furnace

Applications of Vacuum Furnace

Advantages of Vacuum Furnace

FAQ

What Is A Vacuum Furnace Used For?

What Is The Process Of A Vacuum Furnace?

What Gas Is Used In A Vacuum Furnace?

What Is The Heating Element Used In A Vacuum Furnace?

REQUEST A QUOTE

Related Articles

The Hidden Enemy in Your Furnace: Why Your Heat-Treated Parts Have Scale and Discoloration—And How to Fix It for Good

The Architecture of Nothingness: Mastering Heat in a Vacuum

Why Your High-Temperature Experiments Fail: The Furnace Flaw Most Labs Overlook

The Geometry of Heat: Deciding Between Capacity and Control in Lab Furnaces

Why Your Brazed Joints Keep Failing: The Invisible Saboteur in Your Furnace

The Architecture of Heat: Aligning Engineering Precision with Laboratory Reality

The Silent Saboteur in Your Furnace: Why Your Heat Treatment Fails and How to Fix It

The Symphony of Silence: Molybdenum and the Architecture of the Vacuum Hot Zone

Why Your High-Temperature Processes Fail: The Hidden Enemy in Your Vacuum Furnace

The Geometry of Heat: Why the Split Tube Furnace is an Engineer’s Best Ally

Inconsistent Melts? The Problem Isn't Your Furnace, It's the Physics.

The Art of Nothingness: Vacuum, Inert Gas, and the Pursuit of Purity

Why Your High-Temperature Furnace Failed—And How to Prevent It From Happening Again

The Silent Partner in Pyrolysis: Engineering the Perfect Thermal Boundary

Why Your High-Temperature Furnace Fails—And How to Choose the Right One

The Inverted Cup: When Physics Hides a Lethal Trap in Vacuum Furnaces

Muffle vs. Tube Furnace: How the Right Choice Prevents Catastrophic Lab Failure

The Geometry of Control: Why the Tube Furnace is Science’s Precision Tool

The Architecture of Consistency: Why Geometry Matters in Thermal Processing

Your Induction Furnace Is Failing You. The Reason Isn't What You Think.

Hot Tags