Systems and methods for annealing, carburizing and/or other treatments of metallic articles include a retort furnace having a retort. The metallic articles are fed into a chamber of the retort through an inlet section of the retort and are subjected to heating. The retort is oscillated and/or rotated back and forth as the metallic articles are heated, causing the metallic articles to be moved along the chamber of the retort to a discharge.

An injector configured for arrangement within a reactor of a vertical furnace to inject gas in the reactor is provided. The injector is made substantial elongated and configured with an internal gas conduction channel to transport gas from a first end of the injector to a second end of the injector. An outer sidewall of the injector may be tapered towards the second end over at least 10%, preferably 30% and most preferably 50% of the length of the injector to increase tolerances for fitting the injector in the tube.

A method of packaging water-reactive aluminum may include directing at least one discrete object into a container, the at least one discrete object including an aluminum alloy, the aluminum alloy plastically deformed and non-recrystallized, introducing, into the container, a liquid metal alloy including one or more activation metals, enclosing the at least one discrete object and the liquid metal alloy with one another in the container to form a kit, for a predetermined period, exposing the kit to a heating environment, and agitating the at least one discrete object and the liquid metal alloy in the container in the heating environment during the predetermined period to form the kit into a packaged unit of water-reactive aluminum.

A method of packaging water-reactive aluminum may include directing at least one discrete object into a container, the at least one discrete object including an aluminum alloy, the aluminum alloy plastically deformed and non-recrystallized, introducing, into the container, a liquid metal alloy including one or more activation metals, enclosing the at least one discrete object and the liquid metal alloy with one another in the container to form a kit, for a predetermined period, exposing the kit to a heating environment, and agitating the at least one discrete object and the liquid metal alloy in the container in the heating environment during the predetermined period to form the kit into a packaged unit of water-reactive aluminum.

The disclosure relates to substrate processing apparatus, with a first and second reactor, each reactor configured for processing a plurality of substrates; and, a substrate handling robot constructed and arranged to transfer substrates between a substrate cassette at a substrate transfer position and the first and second reactor. The apparatus is constructed and arranged with a maintenance area between the first and second reactors to allow maintenance of the reactors from the maintenance area to both the first and second reactor.

A charging device for the heat treatment of workpieces being provided with a hub, comprising a charging support, a shaft and at least one auxiliary hub, wherein the workpiece can be vertically supported on the shaft by auxiliary hub(s) precisely fitted into the hub, and the shaft being supported by the charging support as well as use of auxiliary hubs for the dimensionally stable hardening of gear-wheels in vertical position.

A method of operating a top submerged lance furnace, and more particularly but not exclusively to a method of coating an end of a lance of a top submerged lance furnace with a slag layer, as well as a method of maintaining a uniform heat distribution about the periphery of the lance of the top submerged lance furnace. In terms of the method, the lance is caused to rotate, and a fluid is passed through the lance before it is inserted into the molten material bath inside the crucible.

The disclosure relates to substrate processing apparatus, with a first and second reactor, each reactor configured for processing a plurality of substrates; and, a substrate handling robot constructed and arranged to transfer substrates between a substrate cassette at a substrate transfer position and the first and second reactor. The apparatus is constructed and arranged with a maintenance area between the first and second reactors to allow maintenance of the reactors from the maintenance area to both the first and second reactor.

A substrate processing apparatus, comprising a substrate support (32) provided with a support surface (34) for supporting a substrate or a substrate carrier (24) thereon and a support heater (50) constructed and arranged to heat the support surface (34). The apparatus comprises a heat shield constructed and arranged to cover and shield the substrate support (32) when no substrate or substrate carrier (24) is on the support surface.

A temperature-controllable process chamber configured to process substrates may include one or more vertical walls at least partially defining a chamber portion of the process chamber. Multiple zones may be located about a periphery of the one or more vertical walls and multiple temperature control devices are thermally coupled to the periphery of the one or more vertical walls in each of the multiple zones. A controller coupled to the temperature control devices may be configured to individually control temperatures of the multiple temperature control devices to obtain substantial temperature uniformity across a substrate located in the chamber portion. Other systems and methods of manufacturing substrates are disclosed.