Solar Manufacturing Inc. delivered, installed and commissioned a new R&D vacuum heat-treating furnace to a specialty-metal customer for use in its metallurgical development laboratory. The furnace will be used for low-pressure vacuum carburizing and magnetic-metal developments as well as alloy testing and process development. The horizontal, front-loading model HFL-2624-10IQ has a work zone measuring 18 inches wide x 14 inches high x 24 inches deep with a workload capacity of 750 pounds. It has an operating temperature up to 2400°F and temperature uniformity meeting AMS 2750D.

The furnace is designed for 10-bar fast gas quench incorporating a new Solar Manufacturing proprietary-design radial fan and gas diffuser/distributor with internal 100-HP drive motor. The front door is a locking-ring, “O”-ring-sealed, autoclave-type. Instrumentation includes Solar Manufacturing’s vacuum-carburizing system and vacuum controls, Honeywell temperature control/programming, Allen Bradley PanelView and Eurotherm high-speed digital-display recorder.