The invention relates to a method for sintering carbon bodies (16) in a furnace comprising at least a first furnace chamber (11) for receiving the carbon bodies, which are accommodated in a packing material (23), the carbon bodies being arranged between lateral chamber walls (12, 13, 21) of the furnace chamber, and the furnace chamber serving to form a preheating zone V, a heating zone H provided with a heating device, and a cooling zone A, wherein a packing material (23) made, at least in part, of a highly heat-conductive material is used.

A vertical oven for panels includes trays configured to support mainly flat panels arranged in a multiple of two stacks circulating in opposed directions, such as the first stack moving in an ascending direction and the second stack in a descending direction. The trays are arranged at a distance from each other and the movement of the trays is such that at least one every other tray is withdrawn from the circulation, doubling the distance between the trays.

A vertical oven for panels includes trays configured to support mainly flat panels arranged in a multiple of two stacks circulating in opposed directions, such as the first stack moving in an ascending direction and the second stack in a descending direction. The trays are arranged at a distance from each other and the movement of the trays is such that at least one every other tray is withdrawn from the circulation, doubling the distance between the trays.

The invention relates to a method for sintering carbon bodies (16) in a furnace comprising at least a first furnace chamber (11) for receiving the carbon bodies, which are accommodated in a packing material (23), the carbon bodies being arranged between lateral chamber walls (12, 13, 21) of the furnace chamber, and the furnace chamber serving to form a preheating zone V, a heating zone H provided with a heating device, and a cooling zone A, wherein a packing material (23) made, at least in part, of a highly heat-conductive material is used.

A microwave heating system heats a hermetic container loaded with a heated object. The hermetic container is accommodated and given pressure by a microwave transparent and pressure resistant module, and is fixed onto a transporting device in a cyclic course. Microwave is generated by a microwave heating device to perform heating. The hermetic container is stirred while the transport device carries and moves the hermetic container. The temperature of the hermetic container or the heated object is measured by a temperature measuring module. The number of times to stir and repeatedly heat the heated object are appropriately determined in the design of the system. The output power and heating time of the microwave heating device and the transmission speed of the transporting device are adjustable during operations of the system, hence forming a closed-loop temperature control system.

A continuous, high-temperature preheating plant for preheating flat semi-finished steel products has a conveying line suitable to transfer the flat semi-finished steel products from an inlet to an outlet of the continuous, high-temperature preheating plant, and a plurality of heating devices arranged along the conveying line to heat the semi-finished steel products from an inlet temperature to a predetermined final temperature. The plurality of heating devices has, arranged in sequence between the inlet and the outlet along the conveying line, a first induction furnace, a second induction furnace, and at least one electric resistance radiation furnace. The continuous, high-temperature preheating plant has a cutting apparatus suitable to cut a starting flat semi-finished steel product into a plurality of cut segments having a predetermined length less than a length of the starting flat semi-finished steel product. The cutting apparatus is arranged between the first induction furnace and the second induction furnace.