Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., recently shipped a horizontal TurboTreater vacuum furnace with two-bar gas quenching to a metal-casting company in Texas. This specific TurboTreater features a 36 x 36 x 48-inch graphite hot zone with a carbon steel gas distribution plenum and a 3000-pound load capacity. It operates at temperatures of 1000 to 2400°F, with ±10°F temperature uniformity. The furnace is also equipped with a 20-inch Varian diffusion pump and Ipsen’s CompuVac control system.
The Texas company will use the furnace to process parts for the aerospace industry, as it is capable of meeting the strict requirements of applicable AMS 2750E standards. In addition, this TurboTreater is equipped with a motion sensor on the mechanical pump with software that isolates the diffusion pump if it should fail or if the maximum allowable foreline pressure were exceeded.
A variable-frequency drive on the gas fan cooling motor provides controlled cooling. Other additions include a barcode scanner/reader, a paperless recorder with a channel for recording the dew point, and a spare parts starter kit – which helps users prevent unnecessary downtime by supplying them with essential parts and consumables.
Other possible modifications include variations on the hot zone insulation package, heating elements, pumping systems, and control system. Overall, the Ipsen TurboTreater line allows customers to order heat treatment furnace systems specified to their unique needs.
In addition, this multi-purpose vacuum furnace offers patented mechanical features such as Ipsen’s unique quarter-twist graphite heating element support hanger, which provides metallic support for ceramics; the flare locking rim for molybdenum cooling gas nozzles, which secures them in place into a rounded extrusion in the plenum wall; and the cooling system design, which generates the highest heat transfer coefficient of any vacuum furnace on the market.
