A refractory article having a support structure including a first plurality of posts coupled by a first member; and a second plurality of posts substantially parallel with the first plurality of posts, the second plurality of posts coupled by a second member, wherein the support structure has a height, H, and wherein the first and second members are positioned between 0.3H and 0.7H. In another aspect, the support structure has a height to width ratio of at least 1.5, a stiffness factor of no greater than 100 mm, and a solid to open volume ratio of no greater than 5%. In another aspect, the support structure has a weight of no greater than 1200 kg, a stiffness factor of no greater than 100 mm, and a solid to open volume ratio of no greater than 5%.

The invention relates to a conveying system for conveying a material to be conveyed along a conveying path. The conveying system includes a conveying chamber in which the conveying path is arranged. At least one component of a conveying mechanism for conveying the material to be conveyed is arranged outside the conveying chamber. The conveying mechanism includes a traction drive having at least one traction element by means of which carrying elements can be moved in order to convey the material to be conveyed. The carrying elements are arranged in the conveying chamber and protrude through a through-opening out of the conveying chamber. Inside the conveying chamber and/or in the region of the through-opening, the surfaces of the carrying elements are at least partially provided with a thermal insulation material.

A metallurgical furnace including a vessel with a lower shell for containing a metal bath, the metal bath composed of molten metal and an overlying layer of slag. The lower shell is tiltingly supported and provided with a deslagging opening for evacuating the slag and a tapping opening for tapping the molten metal. The vessel includes an upper shell removably positioned on the lower shell and first and second inlet openings for feeding. The vessel includes a closing roof for the upper closing of the vessel removably positioned on the upper shell and a passage opening for the passage, through the same, of at least one electrode, at least one charge opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state. At least one of the inlet openings, passage opening, and charge opening is closed or associated with a closing element.

The disclosure relates to a door opener to open a door of a cassette with substrates, the opener having a first wall to engage with the cassette and having a first opening to transfer the door and the substrates and a second wall opposite the first wall and having a second opening to transfer substrates. The door opener may have a closure device to hold the door of the cassette and having first and second sides and moveable in a chamber formed between the first and second wall. The opener may have a first actuator to move the closure device in a first direction from a first closing position where the first side closes against the first wall to a second closing position where the second side closes against the second wall, and from the second closing position to a transport position in between the first and second closing positions.

A heat treatment apparatus for heating, in a treatment container, a substrate on which a coating film is formed. The heat treatment apparatus includes: a mount provided in the treatment container and which mounts the substrate thereon; a heating part that heats the substrate mounted on the mount; a suction pipe leading to a suction port formed in the mount, penetrating the mount, and extending directly downward; and a collection container provided on a suction path between the suction pipe and a suction mechanism. The collection container is provided directly below the mount in plan view and connected to the suction pipe to collect a sublimate in the treatment container.

Described herein is a technique capable of reducing an amount of moisture in a low temperature region in a substrate processing apparatus provided with a transfer chamber. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber provided with a heater; a load lock chamber; a transfer chamber provided between the process chamber and the load lock chamber and including a first region provided adjacent to the process chamber and a second region provided more adjacent to the load lock chamber than the first region and whose temperature is lower than a temperature of the first region; a detector capable of detecting an amount of moisture in the transfer chamber; and an inert gas supplier capable of supplying an inert gas toward the second region in the transfer chamber.

In an embodiment, an apparatus comprising: a heater configured to heat a wafer located on a wafer staging area of the heater, the heater comprising a heater shaft extending below the wafer staging area; and a heater lift assembly comprising: a lift shaft configured to move the heater shaft in a vertical direction; a clamp that connects the heater shaft to the lift shaft; and a damper disposed on top of the clamp.

A method of generating a loaded layout in a vacuum furnace corresponding to an actual layout in the vacuum furnace during operation of the vacuum furnace may comprise receiving, via a processor, a visual data of a loading process of the vacuum furnace from a camera; comparing, via the processor, the visual data to a predetermined maximum capacity layout for the vacuum furnace; and arranging, via the processor, the visual data into the loaded layout in response to comparing the visual data.

A shell (10) acts as a transporting shoe for steel ingots, which are pushed through a preferably tubular induction furnace for inductive heating for the purpose of producing seamless tubes by the extrusion process. The shell (10) is formed in such a way that it partially reaches around the contour of the steel ingot to be heated. The shell is provided at one end leading in the pushing-through direction or transporting direction, with a shoulder (12), which extends at an angle to the transporting direction, against which the steel ingot rests in such a way that the pushed-through steel ingot takes the shell (10) along with it. A method for inductively heating steel ingots uses a shell (10) as described.

An apparatus for feeding and preheating a metal charge toward a melting furnace of a melting plant, comprising at least one conveyor channel for said metal charge, at least one hood disposed above said conveyor channel and scrap detection means able to identify the profile of the metal charge entering said conveyor channel. The present invention also concerns a plant for melting metal comprising said apparatus, and a method to feed and preheat a metal charge.