A heat treatment apparatus includes a processing container that accommodates a plurality of substrates, a gas supply unit that supplies a raw material gas into the processing container, an exhaust unit that exhausts the raw material gas in the processing container, and a heating unit that heats the plurality of substrates. The gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe including: a first straight pipe portion that extends upward along a longitudinal direction of an inner wall surface of the processing container; a bent portion where a distal end side that extends above the first straight pipe portion is bent downward; a second straight pipe portion that extends downward from the bent portion; and a plurality of gas ejecting holes formed on the second straight pipe portion. The first straight pipe portion has a larger cross-sectional area than the second straight pipe portion.

Systems and processes for use in heating articles include passing a carrier loaded with an article through a vessel inlet and into a first vessel portion and moving the loaded carrier in a first direction through the first vessel portion away from the inlet. During at least a portion of the movement through the first vessel portion, the article is contacted with a first fluid medium. The loaded carrier is moved carrier in a second direction opposite the first direction through a second vessel portion toward a vessel outlet. During at least a portion of the movement through the second vessel portion, the articles is contacted with a second fluid medium. In certain implementations, each of the first direction and the second direction are vertical.

A support pedestal is provided that includes a substrate having a top resistive layer defining a first set of zones and a bottom resistive layer defining a second set of zones. Each zone of the first and second set of zones is coupled to at least two electric terminals from among a plurality of electric terminals, and a total number of electric terminals is less than or equal to a total of the first and second set of zones.

A furnace for removing a molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core through sublimation comprising a retort furnace having an interior; a sublimation fixture insertable within the interior of the retort furnace, the sublimation fixture configured to receive at least one turbine blade having the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core; a flow passage thermally coupled to the retort furnace configured to heat a fluid flowing through the flow passage and deliver the fluid to the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core causing sublimation of the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core.

A furnace for removing a molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core through sublimation comprising a retort furnace having an interior; a sublimation fixture insertable within the interior of the retort furnace, the sublimation fixture configured to receive at least one turbine blade having the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core; a flow passage thermally coupled to the retort furnace configured to heat a fluid flowing through the flow passage and deliver the fluid to the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core causing sublimation of the molybdenum-alloy refractory metal core.

A compound sintering furnace with managed contamination for debinding and sintering parts. An inner insulation layer is disposed within an outer insulation layer and has an internal hot face surrounding a work zone. A sealed housing surrounds the inner insulation layer and is composed of a refractory material capable of withstanding a service temperature greater than a debinding temperature and less than a sintering temperature. An outer heater system is configured to heat at least a portion of the sealed housing and externally heat the inner insulation layer to, in conjunction with an inner heater system, heat the work zone to the debinding temperature, and inhibit condensation of a binder within and upon the inner insulation layer during a debinding process. The inner heater system is configured to internally heat the inner insulation and heat the work zone to the sintering temperature.

A compound sintering furnace with managed contamination for debinding and sintering parts. An inner insulation layer is disposed within an outer insulation layer and has an internal hot face surrounding a work zone. A sealed housing surrounds the inner insulation layer and is composed of a refractory material capable of withstanding a service temperature greater than a debinding temperature and less than a sintering temperature. An outer heater system is configured to heat at least a portion of the sealed housing and externally heat the inner insulation layer to, in conjunction with an inner heater system, heat the work zone to the debinding temperature, and inhibit condensation of a binder within and upon the inner insulation layer during a debinding process. The inner heater system is configured to internally heat the inner insulation and heat the work zone to the sintering temperature.

The invention relates to a dental furnace, in particular a high-temperature dental furnace for oxide ceramics such as zirconium dioxide having sintering temperatures of between 1300 and 1850° C., comprising a heating element (10) which is intended to give off heating energy to the firing chamber. It is provided that the heating element (10) comprises at least two heating element sections (48, 50) adjoining one another at a transition area (34) which is not current-carrying and/or which extends away laterally, that the transition area (34) is supported on a position, in particular on the free end, spaced apart from the electrical connections (16, 18) on the dental furnace and carries at least the two adjoining parts of heating element sections (48, 50).

The invention relates to a dental furnace, in particular a high-temperature dental furnace for oxide ceramics such as zirconium dioxide having sintering temperatures of between 1300 and 1850° C., comprising a heating element (10) which is intended to give off heating energy to the firing chamber. It is provided that the heating element (10) comprises at least two heating element sections (48, 50) adjoining one another at a transition area (34) which is not current-carrying and/or which extends away laterally, that the transition area (34) is supported on a position, in particular on the free end, spaced apart from the electrical connections (16, 18) on the dental furnace and carries at least the two adjoining parts of heating element sections (48, 50).

An insert for a waterless portable heating device can include multiple containers or shelves arranged in layers for insertion into the device. For example, the insert can have multiple compartments to heat multiple separate ingredients at the same time, e.g., without the ingredients touching each other.