Features
- High Production - Up to 100 lbs./hr. (56 kg/h); air-to-air load handling
- Optimized Environment - High vacuum process during 95% of cycle
- Convenient Operation - Load and unload from control platform
- Economy - Continuous operation extends heat zone life, conserves power
- Compact Size - Rotary carousel design saves space
- Safety - Water-jacketed throughout, hot spots avoided
- Protection - Interlocks insure against inadvertent load damage
- Fast Cooling - Inert gas reirculation and external heat exhanger
- Industry Standard - Preference of leading tantalum anode producers
Specifications
Capacity
| Effective Workspace: |
7.5" dia. x 10" high (190 mm x 254 mm) |
| Typical load: |
50 lb. (28 kg) tantalum |
| No. of Load Stations: |
8 |
| Typical load cycle: |
30 to 35 min. (depending on process) |
Chamber
| Main Vacuum Chamber |
Type 304 stainless steel cylindrical vessel, welded-in dished cover, flanged dished base, mild steel flander and water jackets; 18" dia. door for access to rotary table; 16" dia. flanged port (for load lock isolation valve) |
| Load/Unload Tower |
Type 304 stainless steel cylindrical vessel with mild steel flanges and water jacketing; Type 304 stainless steel flat plate cover. |
| Furnace Tower |
Welded-in Type 304 stainless steel cylinder with mild steel top flange and water jacketing; dished cover with power ports, port for sighting and lifting lugs. |
Internals
| Load Lock |
radially retractable load support bars; 16" high vacuum isolation valve. |
| Rotary Table |
nickel plated steel (water-cooled) with matched holes and centering pads for 8 stainless steel platens (drilled for users tantalum load support posts) |
| Furnace Heat Zone |
Heating elements: heavy tantalum rod.
Radiation Shields: multi-layer dimpled tantalum sheet.
Shield Support: Nickel; complete assembly removable as single unit. |
Externals
| Main Chamber |
Two (2) water-cooled rams, hydraulically-operated, below load/unload and furnace towers. Rotary table drive mechanism and hydraulic motor. Hydraulic power unit. Sight port on access door. |
| Load/Unload Tower |
Three (3) pneumatic actuators for radial load support bars. Cam-operated lift/swing-aside cover mechanism. Sight port on cover. |
| Furnace Tower |
Sight port on cover (with isolation valve) |
Vacuum Pumping Systems
| Main Chamber |
16" (10,000 liter/sec) diffusion pump, bi-coolant chevron baffle with mechanical refrigeration sysem, high vacuum right angle valve; 1600/150 CFM combination blower/pump assemlby for roughing and backing; 5 CFM mechanical holding pump; steel manifolding; remotely controlled, solenoid-actuated, pneumatically-operated valves. |
| Load Lock |
6" (1500 liter/sec.) diffusion pump; 50 CFM roughing and backing pump; 5 CFM holding pump; steel manifolding; pneumatically-operated valves. |
Controls & Instrumentation
| Main Control Console |
free-standing, front access, NEMA-1 console with interlocked power disconnect switch; two (2) vacuum system control panels, each with mode selector switch, keylocking overrides and pilot lights for sequence controlled, semiautomatic pumping; furnace control panel with digital potentiometer for power adjustment, start-stop pushbuttons, ammeters and voltmeters, and cooling water pilot lights; load handling control panel (graphic display) with pushbuttons and pilot lights to control loading ram, furnace ram, table index and index lock, all interlocked for error-free operation. |
| Remote Panel #1 |
(convenient to load lock cover): operating controls for isolation valve, gas backfill, gas blower/heat exchanger, load ram, and load lock vent. |
| Remote Panel #2 |
(next to main chamber manhole cover): operating controls for rotary table index mechanism and furnace station ram. |
Power Center
| Housed in console base; includes main fused disconnect switch, starters, contactors, control power transformer. Completely wired, color coded and ready for connection to user service. |
Power Supply
| Balanced three-phase low voltage air-cooled transformer. 100kVA saturable core reactor. Manual start, shunt trip, circuit breaker interlocks with cooling water supply. |
Utilities
| Electrical |
440 volts, 3-phase, 60 Hz; 210 amps |
| Water |
40 gpm, 30-50 psig, 60-70°F, filtered |
| Air |
80-100 psig, 10 CFM, filtered and lubricated 1 hr. duty cycle |
Space Required
| Approximately 17ft long x 13 ft. wide x 9 ft. 6 in. high including height of 72" platform mounted console. Pit required to accommodate hydraulics - 3 ft. x 3 ft. square x 7 ft. deep. |
Application
Specifically designed for sintering oxygen and nitrogen sensitive, high temperature materials, the system's 2200°C heat zone is ideally suited for tantalum PM compacts.
The completely integrated system provides for loading, sintering, and cooling mass produced, pre-sintered PM products under controlled conditions of temperature, vacuum and inert cooling gas.
Similar Vacuum Industries' furnace systems are available for processing carbides and other PM products.
