PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – December 1998
Thermal Technology recently designed and manufactured several very high vacuum furnaces for heat treat and brazing applications for the medical field. Our customer needed special features such as 1 x 10-7 torr vacuum with a rate of rise of 0.1 microns per hour when at room temperature, clean, empty and outgassed.

The horizontal furnace system has a full opening front door with automatic latching clamps provided with protective covers. The furnace assembly includes a wall mount flange to directly interface with the customer’s Class 10K clean room. The hot zone has tungsten heating elements on all six sides (surrounded by molybdenum heat shields). The useable work volume is 24″ wide by 24″ high by 24″ deep. The furnace is capable of continuous automatic operation from 100ºC to 1450ºC ±25ºC or better within the useable work volume.

The vacuum furnace was supplied with a 16″ diffusion pump, Chevron baffle with Polycold™ refrigerate cooling system, Stokes Model 412 roughing pump (300 CFM), holding pump and all necessary plumbing and manifolding to complete the vacuum system. The furnace is designed so that the rear bolted cover can be easily detached and rolled back from the furnace on a dolly assembly. Since the heat zone components (elements, heat shields, hearth support and electrical power feed-throughs) are connected to the rear cover, the servicing and maintenance can be performed outside the Class 10K clean room area. This is an extremely beneficial feature to anyone considering processing in a clean room environment.

To assure the extremely low rate of rise and to attain 5 x 10-7 torr within one hour, the system was supplied with dual Viton “O”-rings on the front door and rear cover. Working closely with the customer, other special features such as the type, size and location of residual gas analyzer, auxiliary ports, computer interface, water manifold interface, inert gas cooling, etc. were discussed in detail prior to manufacturing. These furnace systems now give our customer a competitive edge in the marketplace by allowing for processing of larger work pieces and increased throughput capability surpassing that of previous equipment.

Thermal Technology welcomes the opportunity to work closely with your manufacturing engineers and colleagues to meet your needs.