 |
 |
||||||
[December 2004]
Centorr Sells Three Silicon Carbide Furnaces for High Temp Sintering
Centorr Vacuum Industries (Nashua, NH, USA) has received orders for three silicon carbide sintering furnaces for 2005 delivery from various customers. The designs include a 2 cu.ft. and a 24 cu.ft. large format design for SiC sintering and a vertical bottom loading design for speciality SiC processing.
The company said that that these new furnaces build on the success of its experience in non-oxide ceramics and tungsten carbide hardmetals with modifications made specifically for higher temperature SiC processing.
Centorr's design includes robust graphite tube and block elements designed for use to 2300C with single or multiple zones of control for excellent temperature uniformity. The insulation package has been upgraded from common felt to a rigid graphite board (with or without CFC covering) for long-term service even in the presence of process off-gassing or binder contamination.
Centorr's standard Binder Removal System uses positive pressure flowthrough gas and includes a binder reservoir with integrated exhaust tower. For larger designs, the new dual flowthrough Sweepgas(r) system provides inert gas to both the chamber and retort ensuring proper 'sweeping' away of binders using preheated inert gas and minimum condensation of binder residue on the cold chamber walls.
For complete binder destruction, instead of trapping, the larger furnace uses 1000C heat for complete destruction of VOCs and the virtual elimination of offending exhaust by-products. This proven system allows one furnace to accomplish two individual processes - binder removal and sintering - saving floor space, money and maintenance costs for two separate pieces of capital equipment.
Furnace control is via PLC/Programmable Controllers or Centorr's in-house custom designed HMI visualisation interface using award-winning Intellution(r) software. This event-based control offers extensive data acquisition functionality for supporting SPC and continuous improvement programs and remote system operation.
Website: www.centorr.com
ENDS