The present invention relates to a continuous furnace system for heat treating a metal component, in particular an aluminium strip. The continuous furnace system has a first heating unit, in which the metal component is heatable for solution annealing up to a first temperature in the range of from 350° C. to 700° C., a cooling unit, in which the metal component is coolable from 300° C. to 750° C. down to 70° C. to 250° C., and a second heating unit, in which the metal component is heatable up to from 150° C. to 290° C. The first heating unit, the cooling unit, and the second heating unit both have a common support structure, on which the first heating unit, the cooling unit, and the second heating unit are fixed together. Furthermore, the continuous furnace system has a common conveyor track, which extends through the first heating unit, the cooling unit, and the second heating unit, wherein the conveyor track is configured in such a way that the metal component is passable along the conveyor track in the conveying direction through the first heating unit, the cooling unit, and the second heating unit for heat treatment.

A method and apparatus for treating a workpiece such as a mold grid includes moving the workpiece laterally along a conveyor assembly into a furnace for heating in a carbon-rich atmosphere to form a heated workpiece. The heated workpiece is then received from the furnace onto the conveyor assembly in an enclosed vestibule whereupon it is clamped under pressure between an overhead mechanical press and the conveyor assembly to form a clamped assembly. The clamped assembly, including a portion of the conveyor, is then lowered into a quenching bath via an elevator assembly until the heated workpiece is quenched, whereupon the clamped assembly is raised out of the bath and the clamping force released. This clamping during quenching acts to maintain the workpiece in a planar orientation while reducing warpage during the quenching process.

A method and apparatus for treating a workpiece such as a mold grid includes moving the workpiece laterally along a conveyor assembly into a furnace for heating in a carbon-rich atmosphere to form a heated workpiece. The heated workpiece is then received from the furnace onto the conveyor assembly in an enclosed vestibule whereupon it is clamped under pressure between an overhead mechanical press and the conveyor assembly to form a clamped assembly. The clamped assembly, including a portion of the conveyor, is then lowered into a quenching bath via an elevator assembly until the heated workpiece is quenched, whereupon the clamped assembly is raised out of the bath and the clamping force released. This clamping during quenching acts to maintain the workpiece in a planar orientation while reducing warpage during the quenching process.

A device and a method are described by which the process control, in particular temperature control, of a metal product passed through along a single running-through line is flexibly influenced by means of at least two adjacent segments. By exchanging segments, the process control can be adapted quickly and flexibly to a wide variety of metal products.

A heat-treating furnace has: a rotary shaft; a rotary bottom surface pivotally supported by the rotary shaft and rotates; a plurality of workpiece storage chambers arranged on the rotary bottom surface in a multi-stage torus configuration around an axis of the rotary shaft as a center; a hollow bell-shaped hot-blast guide disposed in a center of the torus configuration on the rotary bottom surface around the axis of the rotary shaft as a center so as to decrease a volumetric capacity in the furnace and to adjust a quantity of a hot blast fed in from above itself into the workpiece storage chamber on each stage; a furnace body bottom surface spaced away from the rotary bottom surface; and a furnace body lateral surface disposed on the furnace body bottom surface.

An apparatus (10) comprising a heating chamber (12). The heating chamber (12) comprises electric heating means (14) for heating the interior (16) of the heating chamber (12) to denature asbestos or asbestos in asbestos comprising structures located in the interior (16) of the heating chamber (12). The apparatus (10) comprises a primary filter (18) downstream of the heating chamber (12). The apparatus (10) comprises an induced draft fan (20) downstream of the primary filter (18), wherein the apparatus (10) is configured such that in use the induced draft fan (20) draws emissions from the heating chamber (12) through the primary filter (18). The apparatus (10) comprises a discharge stack (22) downstream of the primary filter (18). The discharge stack (22) comprises an outlet (24) for venting emissions to external atmosphere.

Disclosed are a continuous heat treatment device and method for a sintered Nd—Fe—B magnet workpiece. The device comprises a first heat treatment chamber, a first cooling chamber, a second heat treatment chamber, and a second cooling chamber continuously disposed in sequence, as well as a transfer system disposed among the chambers to transfer the alloy workpiece or the metal workpiece; both the first cooling chamber and the second cooling chamber adopt a air cooling system, wherein a cooling air temperature of the first cooling chamber is 25° C. or above and differs from a heat treatment temperature of the first heat treatment chamber by at least 450° C.; a cooling air temperature of the second cooling chamber is 25° C. or above and differs from a heat treatment temperature of the second heat treatment chamber by at least 300° C. The continuous heat treatment device and method can improve the cooling rate and production efficiency and improve the properties and consistency of the products.

Disclosed are a continuous heat treatment device and method for a sintered Nd—Fe—B magnet workpiece. The device comprises a first heat treatment chamber, a first cooling chamber, a second heat treatment chamber, and a second cooling chamber continuously disposed in sequence, as well as a transfer system disposed among the chambers to transfer the alloy workpiece or the metal workpiece; both the first cooling chamber and the second cooling chamber adopt a air cooling system, wherein a cooling air temperature of the first cooling chamber is 25° C. or above and differs from a heat treatment temperature of the first heat treatment chamber by at least 450° C.; a cooling air temperature of the second cooling chamber is 25° C. or above and differs from a heat treatment temperature of the second heat treatment chamber by at least 300° C. The continuous heat treatment device and method can improve the cooling rate and production efficiency and improve the properties and consistency of the products.

The multi-chamber heat treatment device includes intermediate conveyors connected together, each treatment conveyor of the intermediate conveyors is attached with a treater that applies predetermined heat treatment to a treatment object and conveys the treatment object to the treater, and each treater is either one of a main treater that applies main treatment to the treatment object, a preheater that applies preheating treatment to the treatment object before the main treatment, and a cooler that applies cooling treatment to the treatment object after the main treatment.

A multi-opening oven assembly for simultaneously heating a plurality of blanks, for example aluminum blanks, before forming the heated blanks in a production line is provided. The oven assembly includes vertically aligned shelves to present a plurality of chambers for heating the blanks. A table including an entry side platform and an exit side platform moves vertically along the oven assembly. A rail system extends along the platforms and the shelves to convey the blanks in and out of the chambers. Once one set of heated blanks is removed from a first chamber, the table moves vertically to a second chamber and is ready to receive the next set of heated blanks. A continuous supply of heated blanks is provided for high throughput. The oven assembly is preferably disposed in a press adjacent a forming station of an existing production line and thus, no additional floor space is required.