From mass production to laboratory applicative research, when it comes to vacuum sintering, a number of questions can arise. I mean, doubts regarding the thermal insulation, the gas fluxing, loading and unloading operations, and so on. In this second part, I will try to solve any doubt you may have related to hot zone for vacuum sintering furnaces, the distribution of gas flow, and the use of furnace box for loading and unloading sintered parts and components.

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Keeping furnace downtime to an absolute minimum also means to be able to make the right choice of hot zone. In fact, the hot zone contributes to the performance of the whole system. It has an impact on the process quality, the temperature uniformity, the heating and cooling rates and the furnace's energy consumption. Therefore, which is the hot zone most economical and best performing based on losses and overall power costs? Graphite-based or all-metal design?

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Molybdenum and graphite are the most popular choices as hearth materials in vacuum furnaces. Throughout the last 40 years, the heat treating industry has experienced a significant shift in the type of hot zone most commonly used in furnaces. In the 1970s, most of the heat zones installed were all-metal hot zones. Today, however, the vast majority are graphite-based hot zones. But, what is the most efficient design in order to minimize hot zone losses and reduce power consumption?

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