Solar Manufacturing Ships Vacuum Annealing Furnace


Souderton, Pennsylvania --- Solar Manufacturing recently completed the shipment and
installation of a horizontal vacuum heat treating furnace to a specialty medical tubing
manufacturer in Eastern USA. With a maximum operating temperature of 2500°F and a
weight capacity of 6,000 pounds, this furnace system is designed for high performance,
low maintenance and energy efficient results.

"Being in the medical products business, our customer demands not only a reliable
vacuum furnace for consistent production but high quality processing results as well."
said Peter Reh, vice president of sales.

The furnace was purchased for the heat treating and annealing of medical grade
stainless steel tubing. The working dimensions of the round hot zone measures 12 feet
deep X 5.5 feet diameter. The hot zone features a Flex Shield hot face of 0.040" thick
carbon fiber reinforced graphite foil and four layers of ½" thick graphite felt insulation.

Thin, durable, graphite heating elements are mounted cylindrically in the hot zone and
are divided into multiple trim zones.
The high alloy, stainless steel tubing coils will be supported on a unique, removable work
fixture specifically designed for the customer's coils. The fixture helps to retain the
shape of the tubing coils without distortion or sticking while being processed at annealing
temperatures.

The vacuum furnace consists of an external gas quenching system utilizing a highcapacity
copper heat exchanger, 300 HP drive motor and a radial blade fan for high
velocity gas quenching. The chamber's front door uses a pneumatically operated
autoclave locking ring closure to facilitate positive pressure quench to 15 psig (2 bar). A
35�� Varian diffusion pump allows for high vacuum performance of 1 x 10-5 Torr.

Whether you need a vacuum furnace for heat treating, brazing, stress relieving,
normalizing, annealing, tempering or sintering, Solar delivers a solution. To learn more
about Solar's diverse product line, contact Peter Reh, Vice President of Sales, at 267-
384-5040 x509 or pkr@solarmfg.com. More information can also be found on
www.solarmfg.com.

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