Wisconsin Oven Corp. shipped a natural-gas-fired belt conveyor oven to a forging company that will use it to preheat aluminum billets. The oven has sufficient capability to heat 3,000 pounds per hour of aluminum from 70-950°F as long as the workload is configured in a manner that is capable of absorbing the heat that is generated within the time available. The conveyor system utilizes a stainless steel flat wire belt, and a variable-frequency drive provides adjustable speed control.

The oven, which has a work chamber measuring 3 feet, 6 inches wide x 25 feet long x 1 foot high, has a maximum temperature rating of 1000°F with guaranteed temperature uniformity of ±10°F at 950°F. It was designed with both top-down and bottom-up airflow to maximize heating rates and temperature uniformity of the part load configuration.