A strip flotation furnace for controlling the temperature of a metal strip has a flotation nozzle bar extending through the furnace transversely to a strip running direction of the strip. The flotation nozzle bar has two opposing first flotation nozzle rows spaced apart by a central region of the flotation nozzle bar. The rows are set up so that corresponding flotation nozzle jets, with a directional component toward the central region, can be generated to provide pressure cushioning for metal strip guiding. A temperature-control nozzle bar extends transversely to and is spaced apart from the flotation nozzle bar along the strip running direction. The temperature-control nozzle bar has two additional opposing temperature-control nozzle rows spaced apart by an additional temperature-control nozzle bar central region. These rows are set up so that corresponding temperature-control nozzle jets, with a directional component opposite to the additional central region, can be generated.

The disclosure relates to a machine for thermal treatment of bulk material, comprising, a stationary furnace which presents a support structure, and a plurality of pallet cars traveling through the furnace, said plurality of pallet cars together defining, at a lateral side thereof, a common engagement surface which extends through the furnace, wherein a gap is defined between the support structure of the furnace and the common engagement surface, said gap having a gap length, the machine further comprising: a sealing system comprising: one or more drop bars, wherein each drop bar of the one or more drop bars includes a brush arranged on the drop bar such that the brush is configured to be in engagement with the common engagement surface such that the one or more drop bars covers the gap over at least parts of the gap length.

To provide a method of forming a positive electrode active material with high productivity. To provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a positive electrode active material with high productivity. Provided is a method of forming a positive electrode active material including lithium, a transition metal, oxygen, and fluorine. An adhesion preventing step is performed during heating of an object. Examples of the adhesion preventing step include stirring by rotating a furnace during the heating, stirring by vibrating a container containing an object during the heating, and crushing performed between the plurality of heating steps. By these manufacturing methods, a positive electrode active material having favorable distribution of an additive at the surface portion can be formed.

Heat shrink wrap product packaging oven or tunnel apparatus and processing methods are provided which incorporate or utilize airfoils in conjunction with hot air-providing side walls to desirably control impact of hot air onto a product wrapped with a tube of heat shrink wrap film and being conveyed on a conveyor thereby. In such heat shrink wrap product packaging apparatus and methods, such airfoils can be movable, e.g., rotatably moveable, relative to the side walls to vertically alter an air impact point onto the product.

Heat shrink wrap product packaging oven or tunnel apparatus and processing methods are provided which incorporate or utilize airfoils in conjunction with hot air-providing side walls to desirably control impact of hot air onto a product wrapped with a tube of heat shrink wrap film and being conveyed on a conveyor thereby. In such heat shrink wrap product packaging apparatus and methods, such airfoils can be movable, e.g., rotatably moveable, relative to the side walls to vertically alter an air impact point onto the product.

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.

The method for heating a metal component to a target temperature, in which the component has a preliminary coating and is passed through a furnace that has at least four zones, which can be respectively adjusted to an individual zone temperature, wherein the component is passed successively through at least an initial heating zone, a plateau zone, a peak heating zone and an end zone and wherein the initial heating zone is adjusted to an initial heating temperature, the plateau zone is adjusted to a plateau temperature, the peak heating zone is adjusted to a peak temperature and the end zone is adjusted to the target temperature, the plateau temperature being chosen such that the temperature of the component in the plateau zone lies in a band around a melting temperature of the preliminary coating which is characterized in that the peak temperature lies by at least 100 K above the target temperature.

A plate conveyor belt, and a furnace with such a conveyor belt, for transporting a material web which is to be continuously thermally treated using a gaseous tempering medium. The plate conveyor belt includes conveyor belt segments connected together in an articulated manner and each of which has a flat cover plate with a contact surface for the material web to be treated. The cover plate has openings for conducting the gaseous tempering medium, which can be conducted through the material web. The openings in the cover plate are arranged corresponding to the transport of the material web which is as wide as possible, and edge-side openings of the cover plate at least along a longitudinal face of the plate conveyor belt can be blocked from conducting the tempering medium via a wall-shaped blocking element in order to thermally treat a narrower material web.

Disclosed is a firing furnace for firing an electrode of a solar cell element, which is provided with: a transfer member, which transfers a substrate having a conductive paste applied thereto; a heating section, which heats the substrate and fires the conductive paste; and a cooling section, which cools the heated substrate. The furnace is also provided with a heating means for heating the transfer member. Specifically, at the time of firing the electrode paste using the wire-type firing furnace, since a wire is fired at a temperature substantially equivalent to the ambient temperature of the heating section, deterioration of yield due to having the electrode damaged by a deposited material of the metal component of the conductive paste is suppressed, said deposited material being deposited on the wire, and the wire-type firing furnace can be continuously used.