A system and method for melting a raw material. The raw material is fed into an electrically conductive vessel. A plasma arc torch melts at least some of the raw material within the vessel to thereby create a molten material. An inductor, physically disposed adjacent the vessel, and electrically disposed in series with the vessel in operation, effects electromagnetic stirring of the molten material by interacting with the current of the plasma arc torch.

The present invention generally describes apparatuses and methods used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate. In one embodiment, pulses of electromagnetic energy are delivered to a substrate using a flash lamp or laser apparatus. The pulses may be from about 1 nsec to about 10 msec long, and each pulse has less energy than that required to melt the substrate material. The interval between pulses is generally long enough to allow the energy imparted by each pulse to dissipate completely. Thus, each pulse completes a micro-anneal cycle. The pulses may be delivered to the entire substrate at once, or to portions of the substrate at a time. Further embodiments provide an apparatus for powering a radiation assembly, and apparatuses for detecting the effect of pulses on a substrate.

A heat treatment apparatus includes: a heat treatment chamber that performs heating treatment for a treatment object thereinside; and a thermal insulator disposed inside the heat treatment chamber and surrounding a receiving area for the treatment object. The heat treatment chamber includes a side wall portion and a lid portion configured to be attachable to and detachable from the side wall portion. The thermal insulator includes a ceiling disposed on the inside of the lid portion. The ceiling includes a thermal insulator lid that is at least part of the ceiling and is united to the lid portion.

A heat treatment apparatus includes: a heat treatment chamber that performs heating treatment for a treatment object thereinside; and a thermal insulator disposed inside the heat treatment chamber and surrounding a receiving area for the treatment object. The heat treatment chamber includes a side wall portion and a lid portion configured to be attachable to and detachable from the side wall portion. The thermal insulator includes a ceiling disposed on the inside of the lid portion. The ceiling includes a thermal insulator lid that is at least part of the ceiling and is united to the lid portion.

The invention relates to a dental furnace comprising a firing hood equipped with a heating device that is movably supported for the opening and closing of the dental furnace relative to a base intended for receiving a dental restoration part, and further comprising a heat detection device that is directed towards an area above the base, in particular towards one or more dental restoration parts, and further comprising a control or regulating device for the dental furnace that is coupled to the heat detection device, wherein the heat detection device is configured as a thermal imaging camera (30) which is directed towards the area above the base while the firing hood (12) is partially or completely opened, and which feeds an at least two-dimensional image in the form of a matrix of the one or more inserted dental restoration parts (60) to the control or regulating device and/or to a muffle (26) that is intended for the generation of the dental restoration parts (60).

The invention relates to a dental furnace comprising a firing hood equipped with a heating device that is movably supported for the opening and closing of the dental furnace relative to a base intended for receiving a dental restoration part, and further comprising a heat detection device that is directed towards an area above the base, in particular towards one or more dental restoration parts, and further comprising a control or regulating device for the dental furnace that is coupled to the heat detection device, wherein the heat detection device is configured as a thermal imaging camera (30) which is directed towards the area above the base while the firing hood (12) is partially or completely opened, and which feeds an at least two-dimensional image in the form of a matrix of the one or more inserted dental restoration parts (60) to the control or regulating device and/or to a muffle (26) that is intended for the generation of the dental restoration parts (60).

A heat treatment device includes: a heating chamber inside which a treatment object is contained; a lower heater that heats the lower section of a receiving area that is an area inside the heating chamber in which the treatment object is contained; and an upper heater that heats the upper section of the receiving area.

A heat treatment device includes: a heating chamber inside which a treatment object is contained; a lower heater that heats the lower section of a receiving area that is an area inside the heating chamber in which the treatment object is contained; and an upper heater that heats the upper section of the receiving area.

A carburizing device includes a furnace body that performs heat treatment on a treatment object to perform carburization treatment on the treatment object, in which: a heater configured to perform heat treatment on the treatment object is provided upright in a vertical direction within the furnace body; a gas supply section configured to supply a gas for burnout toward the heater is provided at a lower end part of the heater; the heater is inserted through a protective tube provided upright in the vertical direction; and the gas supply section is configured to supply the gas for burnout to between the protective tube and the heater.

A method for producing silicon using microwave and a microwave reduction furnace for use therewith are disclosed, with which it is possible to quickly reduce silica to quickly produce silicon. A material of a mixture of a silica powder and a graphite powder of a mixture of a silica powder, a silicon carbide powder and a graphite powder is set in a refractory chamber. Then, the material set in the chamber is irradiated with microwave. The graphite powder absorbs a microwave energy to increase the temperature, after which silica and graphite react with each other to further increase the temperature while producing silicon carbide, and the heated silica and silicon carbide react with each other. SiO produced through this reaction and silicon carbide are allowed to react with each other, thereby producing high-purity silicon.