The method heats the metal foil made of amorphous soft magnetic material while bringing the metal foil into close contact with a placement surface of a metal base such that the metal foil conforms to the placement surface, to crystallize the amorphous soft magnetic material of the metal foil into nano-crystal soft magnetic material. In the crystallization, the metal foil is heated at a heating temperature to crystallize the amorphous soft magnetic material, the heating temperature being higher than or equal to a crystallization starting temperature at which the amorphous soft magnetic material crystallizes into nano-crystal soft magnetic material and allowing a temperature of the placement surface to be lower than a temperature of the metal foil having temperature rise due to heat generated by self-heating during crystallization, and the heat generated by self-heating of the metal foil during crystallization is absorbed by the base.

There is provided a surface treatment method in which a processing gas is brought in contact with a heated processing object made of steel, an element in the processing gas is solid-solutionized, and thus a surface treatment is performed on the processing object. The processing object is heated to a heating temperature in a vicinity of a processing temperature at which the surface treatment is performed by heating an atmosphere in which the processing object is disposed. The surface treatment is performed by bringing the processing gas in contact with a surface of the processing object while the processing object which is heated is directly heated to the processing temperature.

There is provided a surface treatment method in which a processing gas is brought in contact with a heated processing object made of steel, an element in the processing gas is solid-solutionized, and thus a surface treatment is performed on the processing object. The processing object is heated to a heating temperature in a vicinity of a processing temperature at which the surface treatment is performed by heating an atmosphere in which the processing object is disposed. The surface treatment is performed by bringing the processing gas in contact with a surface of the processing object while the processing object which is heated is directly heated to the processing temperature.

The subject innovation relates to a furnace and a method for treatment of at least one workpiece in the furnace, wherein the workpiece is heated up in a chamber of the furnace by at least two heating units which are each associated with a workpiece having a first side and a second side, and whereby a first heating unit heats up the first side of the workpiece and a second heating unit heats up the second side of the workpiece. Further, each heating unit comprises at least two pressure pistons with heatable contact surfaces that are arranged next to each other and with the same orientation. Contact is made between the first side of the workpiece and the contact surfaces of the first heating unit, and in that contact is likewise made between the second side of the workpiece and the contact surfaces of the second heating unit.

The subject innovation relates to a furnace and a method for treatment of at least one workpiece in the furnace, wherein the workpiece is heated up in a chamber of the furnace by at least two heating units which are each associated with a workpiece having a first side and a second side, and whereby a first heating unit heats up the first side of the workpiece and a second heating unit heats up the second side of the workpiece. Further, each heating unit comprises at least two pressure pistons with heatable contact surfaces that are arranged next to each other and with the same orientation. Contact is made between the first side of the workpiece and the contact surfaces of the first heating unit, and in that contact is likewise made between the second side of the workpiece and the contact surfaces of the second heating unit.

A tool for manufacturing hot formed structural components having locally different microstructures and mechanical properties, the tool comprising upper and lower mating dies, each die being formed by two or more die blocks (10) comprising one or more working surfaces (34) that in use face the structural component to be formed and one or more supporting blocks, the upper and lower dies comprising die blocks are adapted to operate at different temperatures corresponding to zones of the structural component to be formed having locally different microstructures and mechanical properties, the die blocks including one or more warm die blocks adapted to operate at a higher temperature, and one or more cold die blocks adapted to operate at a lower temperature, and wherein at least one of the warm die blocks is an electrically conductive die block which is electrically connected to a current source configured to provide a DC current through the die block to control the temperature of the die block. Furthermore, a method for manufacturing hot formed structural components is also provided.

A method for producing a silicon steel normalizing substrate comprises: steelmaking, hot rolling and normalizing steps. The normalizing step uses a normalizing furnace having a nonoxidizing heating furnace section. The nonoxidizing heating furnace section comprises more than 3 furnace zones. An energy investment ratio of the furnace zones used in the nonoxidizing heating furnace section is adjusted, so as to control an excess coefficient α of the nonoxidizing heating furnace section to be within a range of 0.8≦α<1.0.

A method for producing a silicon steel normalizing substrate comprises: steelmaking, hot rolling and normalizing steps. The normalizing step uses a normalizing furnace having a nonoxidizing heating furnace section. The nonoxidizing heating furnace section comprises more than 3 furnace zones. An energy investment ratio of the furnace zones used in the nonoxidizing heating furnace section is adjusted, so as to control an excess coefficient α of the nonoxidizing heating furnace section to be within a range of 0.8≦α<1.0.

In an example implementation, a sintering system includes optical fiber installed into a sintering furnace. A support structure inside the furnace is to support a token green object in a predetermined position and to hold a distal end of the fiber adjacent to the predetermined position. A light source is operably engaged at a proximal end of the fiber to transmit light through the fiber into the furnace. A light detector is operably engaged at the proximal end of the fiber to receive reflected light through the fiber that scatters off a surface of the token green object.

A method of manufacturing a hot-stamped part includes: inserting a blank into a heating furnace including a plurality of sections with different temperature ranges; step heating the blank in multiple stages; and soaking the blank at a temperature of about Ac3 to about 1,000° C., wherein in the step of heating the blank, a temperature condition in the heating furnace satisfies the following equation: 0<(Tg−Ti)/Lt<0.025° C./mm, where Tg denotes a soaking temperature (° C.), Ti denotes an initial temperature (° C.) of the heating furnace, and Lt denotes a length (mm) of step heating sections.