INDUSTRY NEWS
Is a Rotary Tube Furnace Right for your Process? Source: Deltech Furnaces Established in 1968, Deltech’s motto is We Build The Furnace To Fit Your Need™. Deltech builds furnaces to order, with many of their new products and design innovations created in response to unique customer application requirements.
Rotary tube furnaces provide efficient heat and mass transfer, and minimise material handling in applications such as powder processing. Like all their products, Deltech’s rotary tube furnaces are custom designed and built for specific application requirements. This means that clients can specify a range of elements, including: • Maximum operating temperatures up to 1,700°C • Workspace size • Residence time • Tube rotation rate • Tube inclination angle • Temperature profile • Atmosphere flow rate • Powder bed depth • Feed rate
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Furnace Tube Tube stresses include rotational speed, amount of material, diameter of the tube, suspended length, and tube thickness. For tube diameters larger than 9”, alloy tubes are best, but are limited to temperatures under 1,200°C. Ceramic tubes should be used when metals in the alloy may react with a high purity product or off gas. These are also required for high temperature processing.
Lower grade silicon carbide tubes are porous, as are alumina oxide tubes. The porous nature of these tubes makes them undesirable for most applications that require processing in a controlled atmosphere. Quartz tubes are not permeable, but only suitable for processing under 1,300°C. Rotary tube furnaces are unsuitable when long residence times – requiring a small angle of inclination and a slow tube rotation rate – are required. It is difficult to control residence time for more than two hours. Look to a lab scale or production size bottom load, front load, or top hat furnace if your product requires longer processing times. These furnaces are available with optional controlled atmosphere capability. Not sure what you need for your application? Deltech can help. Contact us www.deltechfurnaces.com
High Precision Profile Scanner Compact, Integrated System with high profile resolution • • • •
Sensitive optical components Up to 2048 points / profile Innovative exposure control Red and Blue laser
Smart controller for integrated profile measurement (gap, step, radius, etc)
www.bestech.com.au Email: enquiry@bestech.com.au
Call: (03) 9540 5100
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LOCAL SUPPORT WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
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DECEMBER 2021 | 25
