Application of Hybrid Furnace in Ceramic Industry

In the ceramic industry, the hybrid furnace with integrated tube furnace and box type furnace has demonstrated significant advantages in ceramic sintering, material synthesis, and process optimization due to its unique structural design and functional integration. Specific applications and advantages are as follows:

1. Ceramic sintering: improving density and mechanical properties
High temperature uniform sintering
The box furnace module of Hybrid Furnace provides a spacious constant temperature zone, suitable for uniform heating of large-sized ceramic bodies. For example, when alumina ceramics are sintered in a vacuum environment at 1600 ℃, the enclosed space of the box furnace can effectively maintain the atmosphere, avoid oxidation reactions, increase the density of the body, and improve the bending strength.
The tube furnace module is suitable for sintering powder metallurgy or nano ceramics, by precisely controlling the atmosphere (such as inert gas or reducing gas), reducing impurity doping, and optimizing grain structure.
Gradient temperature control process
By combining the rapid heating of the tube furnace (at a rate of up to 45 ℃/min) with the stable insulation of the box furnace, gradient heat treatment of ceramic materials can be achieved. For example, when silicon nitride ceramics are hot pressed and sintered in a nitrogen atmosphere at 1800 ℃, the tube furnace rapidly heats up to the target temperature, while the box furnace maintains stability and forms a uniform fibrous grain structure, significantly improving fracture toughness and meeting the requirements of high-speed cutting tools.

2. Material Synthesis: Exploring New Ceramic Systems
Preparation of Nano Ceramic Powder
The tubular furnace module plays a crucial role in the synthesis of nano ceramics. For example, carbon nanotube reinforced ceramic matrix composites are synthesized by catalytic cracking of methane gas in an argon atmosphere at 800-1200 ℃. The precise temperature control (± 1 ℃) and atmosphere purity (vacuum degree up to 10 ⁻ Pa) of the tube furnace ensure powder purity and controllable pipe diameter distribution.
The box furnace module is suitable for the calcination of large-scale nano powders. The particle size and activity of powders can be adjusted by optimizing the temperature rise curve and holding time.
Multi functional atmosphere response
Hybrid Furnace supports various processes such as oxidation, reduction, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), etc. For example, in the preparation of ceramic coatings, oxygen is introduced into the tube furnace for oxidation treatment, and hydrogen is introduced into the box furnace for reduction treatment, achieving interface optimization between the coating and the substrate and improving the corrosion resistance of ceramic components.

3. Process optimization: reduce defect rate and cost
Dynamic multi parameter regulation
The intelligent temperature control system of Hybrid Furnace (supporting 2 sets of 16 segment program programming) can adjust temperature, atmosphere, and pressure parameters in real time to meet the phase transition requirements in ceramic sintering. For example, in the phase transformation toughening process of zirconia ceramics, by dynamically controlling the temperature and atmosphere, the generation of cracks during the transition from tetragonal to monoclinic phase is reduced, and the defect rate is lowered.
The double-layer furnace sleeve and air-cooled cooling system of the box furnace reduce heat loss, with a shell temperature of ≤ 50 ℃, reducing workshop environmental load, shortening cooling time, and improving production efficiency.
Data driven process improvement
The built-in data acquisition system records real-time parameters such as temperature and atmosphere pressure, supporting process optimization and quality traceability. For example, by analyzing the temperature fluctuation data during the sintering process, optimizing the heating rate and holding time, the dimensional accuracy of ceramic products can be improved and the scrap rate can be reduced.

4. Typical application cases
Aluminum oxide ceramic sintering
Using a hybrid furnace module, alumina ceramics are sintered at temperatures above 1400 ℃. By extending the holding time (such as from 2 hours to 4 hours), the uniformity of grain size is improved, porosity is reduced, and mechanical properties (strength and hardness) are significantly improved.
Hot pressing sintering of silicon nitride ceramics
By combining the nitrogen atmosphere control of the tube furnace with the high-temperature pressure application of the box furnace, the densification sintering of silicon nitride ceramics is achieved. Experiments have shown that the optimized process can improve the fracture toughness of ceramics, meeting the needs of the aerospace industry.