Rebuilds raise vacuum furnace performance

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Feb 21, 2005

Aerospace contractors and advanced materials and device suppliers now view quality used plant - such as vacuum furnaces -as a highly respectable option.

The market for used vacuum furnaces has been gaining ground in recent years due in part to the visibility provided by the web.

Many buyers including aerospace contractors and advanced materials and device suppliers now view quality used plant as a highly respectable option.

Increasingly active in this area, Specnow undertakes major overhauls on site and supplies quality rebuilds as well as new furnaces customised for the application.

Specnow has recently obtained a stock of used Wentgate design vacuum furnaces with 20 or 30 litre capacities.

The systems have stainless steel chambers set in their original frames.

Well maintained by their previous owners, all of the hardware is in good order.

Ideally suited to the high tech environment, these furnaces will be re-engineered and offered for sale with installation, training and guarantee at typically 50% of new market prices.

When carrying out rebuilds the entire system is stripped and refurbished, replacing any obsolete electrical and mechanical components.

Refurbishment can provide an optimum solution for many customers.

Specnow maintains that it is possible to enhance the capability of the original furnace very significantly using Touch Screen computer technology.

Configured as a Human Machine Interface, Specnow's Microllink displays the maintenance condition of the furnace, vacuum pumps, hot zone uniformity, and calibration.

As well as improving thermal process control, modern electronics add operational supervision and reporting facilities (for procedures like NADCAP), networking, and modem service support.

The system renders chart recorders and vacuum gauges redundant.

Many other components are eliminated, leading to improved reliability while cost is reduced.

Furnace rebuild projects were recently completed for UK customers Morgan Advanced Ceramics and Cathodeon who carry out a range of vacuum brazing and heat treatment processes on ceramic, glass and metal combinations.