A system for heat treating sapphire components to increase strength while maintaining the optical finish and/or transparency of the component. The system may include a fixture positioned in a furnace and configured to suspend an array or group of sapphire components. The fixture may include notches or other features to assist in locating and positioning the sapphire components. Shield elements or enclosures may also be interspersed with the sapphire components and may help produce a more uniform heat distribution and protect the sapphire components from emissions or deposits. Some aspects are directed to a sleeve tool and fixture jig that can be used to assemble the sapphire components onto the fixture in a way that reduces the risk of marring or otherwise damaging the sapphire components.

The present invention relates to a holder for a number of drills, which can advantageously be used for coating drill tips. The holders according to the invention make it possible to arrange the drills in the coating unit in such a way that their tips rest on a cylindrical wall and these can be rotated past a coating source at the same minimum distance. The holder comprises a first curved wall with holes, a second curved wall with holes or slits and a third wall which serves as stop for drills inserted in the holes of the first and second wall.

A method of producing a spring which reduces time required for a heat treatment step of eliminating a machining strain generated by a forming step is provided. This production method is provided with a forming step (S10) of forming a spring steel material into a spring shape and a heat treatment step (S12) of eliminating a machining strain generated in the spring steel material by the forming step. The heat treatment step is executed by electrically heating the spring steel material by applying a current thereto. The heat treatment step has a first step of heating the spring steel material to a predetermined set temperature and a second step of keeping the spring steel material at the set temperature for a predetermined set time period subsequent to the first step. The set temperature is set to be higher than 430 C. but not higher than 500 C.

A method of producing a spring which reduces time required for a heat treatment step of eliminating a machining strain generated by a forming step is provided. This production method is provided with a forming step (S10) of forming a spring steel material into a spring shape and a heat treatment step (S12) of eliminating a machining strain generated in the spring steel material by the forming step. The heat treatment step is executed by electrically heating the spring steel material by applying a current thereto. The heat treatment step has a first step of heating the spring steel material to a predetermined set temperature and a second step of keeping the spring steel material at the set temperature for a predetermined set time period subsequent to the first step. The set temperature is set to be higher than 430 C. but not higher than 500 C.

A furnace tube positioning seat includes a base and at least one shock-absorbing structure. The base has at least one round groove that extends in a groove-extending direction for allowing at least a portion of the furnace tube to be received therein. The at least one shock-absorbing structure includes a connecting member and a shock-absorbing member. The connecting member protrudes outwardly from a groove defining wall of the base which defines the round groove. The shock-absorbing member includes a shock-absorbing strip that is adapted for allowing the furnace tube to lean thereagainst, and two clamping strips that extend respectively from two opposite sides of the shock-absorbing strip in the groove-extending direction. The shock-absorbing strip and the clamping strips cooperatively define an insertion groove that allows the connecting member to be removably inserted therein.

Disclosed is a tool system for disposing parts therein that are intended to undergo a thermal treatment, including a plurality of elementary components which can be assembled together, each component being made of a material suitable for its function, in particular blocks made of graphite and beams made of composite material.