A rotary kiln includes: a heating tube; a material feeding unit disposed on a first end of the heating tube; a material collection unit disposed on a second end of the heating tube; an inner cylinder supported at the second end of the heating tube with the inner cylinder being inserted in a central portion of the heating tube; a plurality of branch tubes disposed circumferentially on an outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder, each of the branch tubes branching from the inner cylinder and extending in an axial direction along an inner circumferential surface of the heating tube; a hot air supply tube supported to be relatively rotatable with respect to the inner cylinder with the hot air supply tube being inserted in one end of the inner cylinder that extends outside the heating tube; and a drive mechanism that rotates the heating tube.

The baked object taking-out apparatus is an apparatus that takes out a baked object from a baking base plate including a disposing surface on which the baked object is disposed. The baked object taking-out apparatus includes a robot arm, a holding member that is provided on the robot arm, that is formed of a metal material, and that is capable of holding the baking base plate, and a protective member that is formed at a portion of the holding member which comes into contact with the baking base plate and that is configured with a ceramic coating which contains a ceramic component.

The baked object taking-out apparatus is an apparatus that takes out a baked object from a baking base plate including a disposing surface on which the baked object is disposed. The baked object taking-out apparatus includes a robot arm, a holding member that is provided on the robot arm, that is formed of a metal material, and that is capable of holding the baking base plate, and a protective member that is formed at a portion of the holding member which comes into contact with the baking base plate and that is configured with a ceramic coating which contains a ceramic component.

A plant for recovering metals and/or metal oxides from industrial process waste, in particular oil product refining waste, comprises a furnace; a feed line connected to a main inlet of the furnace and configured to feed the furnace with a solid waste containing metals, in particular in oxide form; an outlet line, connected to a solid phase outlet of the furnace and configured to draw a metal-enriched solid phase out of the furnace; the furnace is a belt conveyor furnace having a belt conveyor closed in a loop with a substantially horizontal configuration and having a top face, which receives the waste to treat and conveys it between two longitudinal opposite ends of the belt conveyor furnace respectively provided with the main inlet and the solid phase outlet.

A plant for recovering metals and/or metal oxides from industrial process waste, in particular oil product refining waste, comprises a furnace; a feed line connected to a main inlet of the furnace and configured to feed the furnace with a solid waste containing metals, in particular in oxide form; an outlet line, connected to a solid phase outlet of the furnace and configured to draw a metal-enriched solid phase out of the furnace; the furnace is a belt conveyor furnace having a belt conveyor closed in a loop with a substantially horizontal configuration and having a top face, which receives the waste to treat and conveys it between two longitudinal opposite ends of the belt conveyor furnace respectively provided with the main inlet and the solid phase outlet.

A carbon baking furnace has at least one vertical baking shaft with a system and method for positioning green carbon bodies to be baked at the top of the vertical baking path and ringing the green carbon bodies with a sacrificial medium such as packing coke. The disclosure provides a system and method for controlling the delivery and removal of the sacrificial medium used to surround the carbon bodies within the baking paths. A volatile extraction system and method are provided. A system and method for unloading baked carbon bodies is disclosed.

A carbon baking furnace has at least one vertical baking shaft with a system and method for positioning green carbon bodies to be baked at the top of the vertical baking path and ringing the green carbon bodies with a sacrificial medium such as packing coke. The disclosure provides a system and method for controlling the delivery and removal of the sacrificial medium used to surround the carbon bodies within the baking paths. A volatile extraction system and method are provided. A system and method for unloading baked carbon bodies is disclosed.

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 of thermally processing work pieces including providing an insulated chamber having a first end, an opposing second end, and a middle portion disposed between the first and second ends, wherein the first end is inclined with respect to middle portion, creating a thermal gradient within an interior of the insulated chamber, and providing a means for gradually moving a workpiece from the first end to the second end within the created thermal gradient.

A method of manufacturing a permanent magnet comprises a solution heat treatment. The solution heat treatment includes: performing a heat treatment at a temperature T.sub.ST; placing a cooling member including a first layer and a second layer on the first layer between the heater and the treatment object so that the first layer faces the treatment object; and transferring the treatment object together with the cooling member to the outside of a heating chamber, and cooling the treatment object until a temperature of the treatment object becomes a temperature lower than a temperature T.sub.ST200 C. In the step of cooling the treatment object, a cooling rate until the temperature of the treatment object becomes the temperature T.sub.ST200 C. is 5 C./s or more.