What processes can Hybrid Furnace be used for?

The Hybrid Furnace combines the core functions of tube furnace and box furnace, and achieves process flexibility through modular design. It can be applied to ceramic sintering, material synthesis, heat treatment, atmosphere protection experiments, and gradient temperature control processes, as follows:

1. Ceramic sintering: improving density and mechanical properties
High temperature uniform sintering: The box furnace module provides a spacious constant temperature zone, suitable for uniform heating of large-sized ceramic bodies (such as alumina ceramics). Under a vacuum environment of 1600 ℃, the density of the billet increases and the bending strength increases by three times.
Gradient temperature control process: The tube furnace module supports rapid heating, combined with the stable insulation of the box furnace, to achieve gradient heat treatment of ceramic materials. 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, forming a uniform fibrous grain structure and significantly improving fracture toughness, 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. 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.
Multi functional atmosphere reaction: 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. Heat treatment: optimizing the properties of metals and ceramics
Metal heat treatment: Box furnace modules are suitable for metal annealing, quenching and other processes to improve mechanical properties. For example, by using a box furnace for solid solution treatment of metal billets, combined with the rapid cooling of a tube furnace, grain refinement can be achieved and material strength can be improved.
Ceramic heat treatment: The tube furnace module supports low-temperature heat treatment of ceramic materials (such as stress relief annealing) to reduce the risk of cracking. For example, zirconia ceramics are annealed at low temperatures in a tube furnace by introducing nitrogen gas to eliminate processing stress and improve product qualification rate.

4. Atmosphere protection experiment: prevent oxidation and pollution
Inert gas protection: The tubular furnace module can be filled with inert gases such as nitrogen and argon to prevent material oxidation at high temperatures. For example, in the sintering of lithium-ion battery cathode materials (such as LiCoO ₂), nitrogen gas is introduced into the tube furnace for protection to prevent cobalt oxidation and improve the electrochemical performance of the material.
Reductive gas treatment: Hybrid Furnace supports the use of reducing gases such as hydrogen, suitable for metal reduction or deoxidation of ceramic materials. For example, in the preparation of silicon carbide ceramics, hydrogen gas is introduced into the tube furnace for reduction treatment, reducing oxygen impurity content and improving material purity.

5. Gradient temperature control process: meets complex requirements
Temperature gradient control: The intelligent temperature control system of Hybrid Furnace supports multi-stage programming to achieve temperature gradient control. For example, in the preparation of functionally graded ceramics (FGM), a temperature gradient from the surface to the interior is formed through the joint control of a tube furnace and a box furnace, optimizing the distribution of material properties.
Dynamic parameter adjustment: Combined with a real-time data acquisition system, Hybrid Furnace can dynamically adjust temperature, atmosphere, and pressure parameters 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.