Setter plates are fabricated from Li-stuffed garnet materials having the same, or substantially similar, compositions as a garnet Li-stuffed solid electrolyte. The Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, reduce the evaporation of Li during a sintering treatment step and/or reduce the loss of Li caused by diffusion out of the sintering electrolyte. Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, maintain compositional control over the solid electrolyte during sintering when, upon heating, lithium is prone to diffuse out of the solid electrolyte.

Embodiments include a heating device for heating a workpiece, including a furnace defining a closed space insulated from an exterior and surrounded by a heat insulator, a heater disposed in the furnace to heat a workpiece, a bar-shaped support element for supporting a workpiece in the furnace, and bases holding longitudinal ends of the support element for mounting the support element on a wall of the furnace, the support element being configured to increase the bending strength against sagging between its longitudinal ends.

Setter plates are fabricated from Li-stuffed garnet materials having the same, or substantially similar, compositions as a garnet Li-stuffed solid electrolyte. The Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, reduce the evaporation of Li during a sintering treatment step and/or reduce the loss of Li caused by diffusion out of the sintering electrolyte. Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, maintain compositional control over the solid electrolyte during sintering when, upon heating, lithium is prone to diffuse out of the solid electrolyte.

Setter plates are fabricated from Li-stuffed garnet materials having the same, or substantially similar, compositions as a garnet Li-stuffed solid electrolyte. The Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, reduce the evaporation of Li during a sintering treatment step and/or reduce the loss of Li caused by diffusion out of the sintering electrolyte. Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, maintain compositional control over the solid electrolyte during sintering when, upon heating, lithium is prone to diffuse out of the solid electrolyte.

A tray is provided for conveying a workpiece placed on the tray inside a heat treatment furnace. The tray includes plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts for respectively regulating horizontal positional displacements of plural kinds of workpieces with different sizes, wherein the plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts are arranged concentrically in a plane shape.

A loading tooling for thermochemical treatment of parts includes at least first and second loading stages stacked one on the other in separable manner, each loading stage including a rack extending in a horizontal plane. The rack is supported by four legs extending in a vertical direction with the legs of the second loading stage standing on the legs of the first loading stage. The rack has a plurality of support arms secured thereto, with the plurality of support arms of the first loading stage presenting an arrangement that is different from the arrangement of the plurality of support arms of the second loading stage.

A heat treatment facility performing a heat treatment on a workpiece, the heat treatment facility includes: a treatment container in which the workpiece is housed; a heater which is provided in the treatment container and heats the workpiece by radiation heat at least from below the workpiece; and a plurality of support posts which are provided in the treatment container and support the workpiece.

A transport trough, in particular for a continuous furnace for transporting and heating of chemical substances, includes a flat bottom, and a circumferential frame which, together with the bottom, forms a trough-shaped cavity for holding the chemical substances, wherein the frame is connected to the bottom in a non-destructively detachable manner.

Embodiments include a heating device for heating a workpiece, comprising a furnace defining a closed space insulated from exterior and surrounded by a heat insulator, a heater disposed in the furnace to heat a workpiece, at least one support element for supporting a workpiece in the furnace, and a base holding the at least one support element. The base may comprise a mounting portion, a support element retaining portion for each support element, the retaining portion horizontally offset from the mounting portion, and a reinforcement portion configured to increase the strength of the base against deformation due to a load of the workpiece and/or support element applied through the support element retaining portion.

One embodiment provides an article, comprising: an inner container having a cavity, the inner container comprising a ceramic; and an outer container, the outer container comprising a susceptor; wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the inner container is in contact with an inner surface of the outer container, and wherein the inner container is removable from the mold. Methods of melting using the present article are also provided.