Centorr Vacuum Industries (CVI) received orders for two high-temperature sintering furnaces for 2009-2010 delivery from customers in the U.S. and South America. The designs include a 2 cubic foot and a 12 cubic foot design for SiC and B4C sintering. These furnaces build on CVI's experience in non-oxide ceramics and tungsten-carbide hard metals with modifications made specifically for higher-temperature SiC and B4C processing. CVI's design includes robust graphite tube and block elements designed for use to 2450°C (4442°F), with single or multiple control zones for temperature uniformity.

The upgraded graphite insulation design provides for long-term service even in the presence of process off-gassing and binder contamination, while the new dual flow-through Sweepgas® system allows more effective sweeping away of these binders and process contaminants. Furnace control is via PLC/programmable controllers with Centorr's optional custom-designed HMI visualization interface.