For maximum performance and reliability, it is necessary to know how the pumping system of your furnace operates, the pros and cons of the different types of vacuum pumps. This is the first part of an article on roughing pump operation in high vacuum furnaces. Understanding how it works is the first step to make the right choices that will take into account also the reduction in operating costs.

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The demands of heat treatment industry are for higher temperatures, lower pressures, rapid heating and cooling capabilities, and higher production rates.  This has inevitably led to the use of so-called “cold-wall” vacuum furnaces, to the detriment of hot-wall furnaces, which are now considered obsolete. So, let’s see hot-wall and cold-wall furnaces - what could these be and how do they differ from each other?

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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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Advanced engineering components require not only better materials but also new joining or welding processes. Recently, diffusion bonding has become a viable process in the fabrication of structural hardware or fluid and gas flow devices for aerospace and electronic industries. This technology heats and applies pressure on joint materials and uses molecular diffusion to bond them. This means that the resulting joint has properties similar or equal to the parent materials. The process has the ability to produce high quality titanium joints so that neither metallurgical discontinuities nor porosity exist across the interface.

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