A method for molding a sheet into a motor-vehicle component includes heating the sheet by a kiln, prior to forming the component. The kiln has a main body with a roller shape, having a plurality of sectors extending along a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the roller body. The sectors are configured to each receive a sheet, so that the main body with a roller shape is arranged to simultaneously carry a plurality of sheets. The kiln includes a plurality of heating elements in said main body with a roller shape and configured to heat only the first portion of the roller body, so that the roller shaped main body is designed to heat the sheets in a differentiated way, particularly at their areas in contact with said first portion of the roller body. The kiln includes at least one electronically-controlled drive motor, arranged to rotate the roller-shaped main body around the longitudinal axis of the kiln, so as to vary the position of the sectors with respect to the inlet and outlet ports.

Systems and methods for annealing, carburizing and/or other treatments of metallic articles include a retort furnace having a retort. The metallic articles are fed into a chamber of the retort through an inlet section of the retort and are subjected to heating. The retort is oscillated and/or rotated back and forth as the metallic articles are heated, causing the metallic articles to be moved along the chamber of the retort to a discharge.

A method for molding a sheet into a motor-vehicle component includes heating the sheet by a kiln, prior to forming the component. The kiln has a main body with a roller shape, having a plurality of sectors extending along a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the roller body. The sectors are configured to each receive a sheet, so that the main body with a roller shape is arranged to simultaneously carry a plurality of sheets. The kiln includes a plurality of heating elements in said main body with a roller shape and configured to heat only the first portion of the roller body, so that the roller shaped main body is designed to heat the sheets in a differentiated way, particularly at their areas in contact with said first portion of the roller body. The kiln includes at least one electronically-controlled drive motor, arranged to rotate the roller-shaped main body around the longitudinal axis of the kiln, so as to vary the position of the sectors with respect to the inlet and outlet ports.

A method for moulding a sheet into a component of complex shape having areas with different mechanical properties, particularly a motor-vehicle component, includes a first heating step of the sheet carried out by a kiln, prior to forming the component. The kiln has a main body with a roller shape, having a plurality of sectors extending along a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the roller body. The sectors are configured to each receive a sheet, so that the main body with a roller shape is arranged to simultaneously carry a plurality of sheets. The kiln includes a plurality of heating elements incorporated in the roller-shaped main body, so as to heat the sheets in contact with the roller body. The kiln includes at least one electronically-controlled drive motor, arranged to rotate the roller-shaped main body around the longitudinal axis of the kiln, so as to vary the position of the sectors with respect to the inlet and outlet ports. An additional heating step follows extraction of the sheets from the kiln, wherein the sheets are locally heated only at one area, so as to obtain sheets with areas heated to different temperatures.

A method for moulding a sheet into a component of complex shape having areas with different mechanical properties, particularly a motor-vehicle component, includes a first heating step of the sheet carried out by a kiln, prior to forming the component. The kiln has a main body with a roller shape, having a plurality of sectors extending along a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the roller body. The sectors are configured to each receive a sheet, so that the main body with a roller shape is arranged to simultaneously carry a plurality of sheets. The kiln includes a plurality of heating elements incorporated in the roller-shaped main body, so as to heat the sheets in contact with the roller body. The kiln includes at least one electronically-controlled drive motor, arranged to rotate the roller-shaped main body around the longitudinal axis of the kiln, so as to vary the position of the sectors with respect to the inlet and outlet ports. An additional heating step follows extraction of the sheets from the kiln, wherein the sheets are locally heated only at one area, so as to obtain sheets with areas heated to different temperatures.

Provided is an induction heating apparatus including a conveying device, which is configured to convey a rotatable workpiece along a linear guiding conveyance path, and a heating coil, which is configured to inductively heat the workpiece being conveyed along the guiding conveyance path. The conveying device includes a first shaft member and a second shaft member, which are arranged in parallel so as to be separated from each other, and a rotary mechanism, which is configured to rotationally drive at least one of the first shaft member and the second shaft member about an axis thereof. The second shaft member is formed of a threaded shaft having a helical convex portion formed along an outer periphery of the second shaft member. The guiding conveyance path is formed by a groove bottom surface of a helical groove defined on the second shaft member by the helical convex portion.

In the present disclosure, a motor core can be degreased prior to straightening annealing without a heating device or a vacuum device dedicated to degreasing being provided. A heat treatment furnace according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a degreasing chamber for degreasing a motor core, a heating chamber with which the degreasing chamber directly communicates and which is configured to anneal the motor core that has passed through the degreasing chamber, by using a converted gas generated by a converted gas generation device, as an in-furnace atmosphere gas, and a gas flow formation section GF configured in such a manner that the converted gas in the heating chamber flows toward the degreasing chamber.