Vacuum, Protective Gas or Hydrogen Furnaces

Cold wall furnace with protective gas atmosphere or vacuum

HTM’s cold wall furnaces are suitable for work in oxygen-free atmospheres at temperatures up to 2400 °C.
Depending on the materials used for the heating conductor and the thermal insulation, different application specific versions are available. By using oxygen getters in the thermal insulation, extremely low-oxygen gas atmospheres or – in a modified version – high vacuum can be achieved. The usual working space volumes range from 0.5 l to 20 l.
The table below provides an overview of the heating systems and their characteristics.

Cold wall furnaces with protective gas atmosphere are used for different processes, such as:

• Sintering of oxygen-sensitive ceramics, such as AlN (aluminum nitride), Si3N4 (silicon nitride), BN (boron nitride), CeS (cerium sulfide);
• Sintering of oxides, while adjusting low oxidation stages; for example MnO, TiOx, Ce2O3, UO2;
• Generation of defined structures and properties in redox-stable oxides;
• Thermal treatment and sintering of oxygen-sensitive metals, such as tungsten, molybdenum, tungsten-nickel-titanium alloys;
• Production of metal/ceramic joints according to the active metal solder technology
• Annealing of impurities (like alkali / alkali oxides) from high temperature materials