MUT Advanced Heating GmbH

Continuous Kilns

• Complete continuous kilns as well as modules of continuous kilns for integration into a heat treatment plant with loading and unloading equipment
  
• For annealing, firing, glazing, sintering, expanding, drying and cooling of powdery as well as lumpy solids of any form and positioning
  
• Multiple zone design with heat recovery
  
• Modular design for easy and cost-saving maintenance
  
• Radiation and/ or air- circulation heater
  
• Use of high-quality multi-layer isolation materials, energy- and performance-optimised design
  
• Small thermal mass, fast hot-cold cycles
  
• Application-specific transport media: belt conveyor, chain, chain belt and stations
  
• Self-adjusting band drive with frequency converter operation
  

Available accessories:

• Waste-gas treatment with catalytic afterburning
• Hot-gas filter
• Steel retort up to 1.000 °C
• Nicrofer retort up to 1.200 °C
• Silos, feeders and other devices for powder
• Handling equipment
• Spraying equipment
• Balance equipment

Graphite furnaces

• Graphite furnaces for industrial applications
  
• Operations with protective gas, vacuum and process gas up to 2.500 °C
  
• Regulation via pyrometer or thermocouple optionally
  
• Energy- and power-optimised versions of heaters, isolation and current feeds
  
• Low operating costs and capital investment by standardised wearing parts
  
• Sample plate, grates and charging racks of graphite
  
• Regulation by Siemens S7 or multifunction automatic controller as well as process visualisation by PC
  
• Extensive accessories and applications program
  

Vertical furnaces with effective size (diameter) < 300 mm could be available as CAF22.

The company develops a broad product range of graphite furnaces on basis of own proven double-walled water-cooled vacuum recipients. The user can choose between vertical and horizontal versions. The feeding can be performed by charging racks and mechanisms and/ or elevators. The feed flanges and closures, which are easily practiced with proved safety technology, give the full cross section of the container while opening. Viton® compound sealing rings, which are surely cooled and can be serviced easily, ensure an accurate durable sealing of the work space against under and over pressure conditions.

The additional usage of a high-speed cooling equipment makes the defined and fast run of hot-cold-cycles possible. The adjustable cooling of the individual components ensures optimal cooling and helps to save water. Different proved gas sources, cooling traps and filters can be chosen according to process gas operations.

Energy- and power-optimised dimensioning and manufacturing of heaters, isolation and current lead through are realised by own computer programs. For each application particularly designed heater arrangements of heating elements, foils and/ or pipes, which use qualified graphite or carbon fibre-strengthened carbon of well-known manufacturers, guarantee a customized attitude of the process. Manufacturing and assembling of the graphite is done according to strict high quality standards.

The standard isolation consists of layered carbon and graphite fibre felt, covered with a graphite reflex foil towards the chamber. The isolation structure is fixed to an easily removable interior container, so maintenance work can be practised easily and cost-saving. Isolations made of shaped parts from rigid graphite felt and combinations with graphite felt are possible.

The flexible design of the working space as well as the feeding device and grates, charging racks and charging carriers are implemented with qualified materials made of graphite or fibre reinforced carbon.

The regulation of the plant is realised by Siemens Simatic S7. Alternatively the usage of a multifunction automatic controller could be possible. For the comfortable manipulation and monitoring an operator panel can be used. The temperature measurement is performed by thermocouple or pyrometer. All this guarantees a user-friendly handling and a safe processing.

Separate product information sheets include further information to the available automatic control as well as the switch cabinet building. An extensive optional equipment and accessories program completes the broad spectrum of the graphite furnaces:

• fast cooling
• high vacuum operating
• dust collector
• cooling and condensing of waste gas
• electrical-/ gas-heated torch
• loading assistance
• gas source for e. g. hydrogen, argon or nitrogen
• over-pressure operating on request

High-Vacuum Retort Furnace up to 1.300 °C

• Retort made of high-temperature resistant alloy
  
• High-vacuum up to 10-5 mbar
  
• Hydrogen flare combustion
  
• Specimen temperature control using a cascade regulation system with three slaves
  
• Modular 4-zone structure, very good temperature distribution
  
• Fast heating and cooling rates up to 600 K/h
  
• Process control by a programmable controller
  
• Complete system, including pump stand, gas controller, charging device and electrical controller
  

Retort Furnaces up to 1.100 °C

• Multi-level fibre furnace with low fibre emissions due to fibre-retaining system
• Vertical or horizontal design
• Multiple-zone control device with PC-operation
• Temperature homogeneity at work piece holder level better than 0.5 K
• Reproducibility 1 K
• Heating rate higher than 600 K/min
• Forced cooling up to 500 K/h
• Manual charging device
• Possible options: hydrogen mode, vacuum mode

Extensive accessories, for example:

• Feeding tools
• Homogeneity-monitoring system
• Temperature-profile measurement system
• Various pump stands, coolers, etc.
• Emissions purification

ISO 15: Integrated Sinter and Debinding Oven

New furnace system for ceramic and powder technology:

• Continuous procedure for debinding and sintering in one plant
• Residue-free desorption of binding agents
• Free choice of furnace atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing
• Sintering in pure atmosphere
• Through the use of new heater and isolation materials resistance in almost all atmospheres, e. g. oxygen or hydrogen up to 1.500°C, is achieved
• Through a new arrangement of the working chamber (furnace in furnace) the advantages of hot-wall and cold-wall furnaces are combined
• Gradient operation for the decrement of binder residue and other pollution, burn out in air for cleaning are possible
• Low carbon rates in the sinter products
• Simple and safe loading by shock-free elevator table
• Very good temperature distribution by all round heating of the working space
• Good accessibility of the periphery and for service by free standing recipient
• Compact construction and high integration density
• Modular regulation with SPS and process-tablo as well as process visualisation over PC

Debinding and sintering processes require a range of different types of furnace systems tailored to the various temperature ranges and furnace atmospheres. To date it has not been possible to carry out thermal processes over a wide range of temperatures with different atmospheres, from reducing to oxidising, in a single system as a result of the various operating requirements.

The ISO15 furnace system provides a solution to this. Using a new, patented method and a new type of system for the integrated sintering and debinding of shaped glass-ceramic, ceramic and metallic parts it is possible to achieve a consistent mode of operation for both processes. In addition to considerable savings in time and costs, this also offers a range of completely new opportunities for process control. Furthermore, the handling risks posed by having to transfer the debindered material are eliminated.

In order to achieve all this, the manufacturer has used new heating elements, a new layout for the heaters and a new type of insulation system, which can be used for both low and high temperatures and in both oxidising and reducing atmospheres. In addition a method is used, which by virtue of the type of temperature gradient and gas control set over the insulation allows the binding agents to be removed in full and sintering to be carried out in a pure atmosphere (gradient method). The debinding process can be maintained up to a temperature of approx. 1000 °C which results in lower impurity levels such as very low residual carbon contents. In sintering mode an appropriate gas control system and the gradient method prevent the recontamination of the sintered material. In addition, the atmosphere can be freely selected, be it air, inert gas or hydrogen. Partial pressure control is also possible at any point. A cleaning fire in air or in a vacuum can remove impurities caused by a breakdown. A convenient control and regulating system, based on a Siemens S7 PLC with all the necessary safety systems, enables the user to complete the required process easily and safely.

Technical data:

• Vacuum: up to 10 -3 mbar
• Max. positive pressure: 40 mbar (optional 2 bar abs.)
• Max. temperature debinding: 1.000 °C (any atmosphere); sintering: 1.500 °C (hydrogen); 1.600 °C (air, inert gas)
• Temperature distribution: ± 3 K
• Control constancy: ± 2 K
• Heating rate: up to 20 K/min

Accessories:

• charging devices
• cooling trap
• catalytic afterburning
• torch, electrical or gas
• different pumping stations
• partial pressure regulation
• vacuum debinding
• sample regulation

Rotary tube furnace under controlled atmosphere

• metal, glass and ceramic tubes
  
• continuous or batch operation possible
  
• treatment of bulk materials in vacuum or under inflammable gas as well as inert gas
  
• versions up to 1.500 °C
  
• adjustable turning and tilting motion
  
• plant control via Siemens S7 with process visualisation
  

extensive accessory program:

• dust filter
  
• waste gas cooler
  
• gas-mixing station
  
• loading assistance
  

The company MUT Advanced Heating develops a broad product range of rotary tube furnace on basis of its proven tube furnace. The user can select between plants for the continuous or the batch mode use.

The plants are designed for the thermal treatment of most different bulk materials like ceramic or metallic granulates or powders. No matter if the application is annealing, drying or calcining of purest or aggressive bulk materials, the user can choose from a modular structure of parts for building his plant to meet the specific needs of his process.

The rotary furnaces can be equipped with different rotating tubes. Depending upon procedures the user can select between metallic, amorphous or ceramic pipe materials. A combination of two pipe materials in the form of wear-protection layers is possible.

A specially for this plant type developed vacuum-tight rotated lead through allows the thermal treatment of bulk materials in vacuum or under inflammable as well as inert gases. The heating is implemented over axial arranged heater modules outside of the tube, with a multiple-zone-design to compensate the axial heat dissipation and achieve the best possible temperature distribution. The temperature measurement is done by thermocouple or pyrometer.

The regulation is done via a Siemens Simatic S7. This device also controls peripheral equipment depending on the process. For the comfortable operation and monitoring an operator panel can be used. This graphics-oriented LC display guarantees a user-friendly handling and a safe processing. An extensive safety engineering ensures the failure-free operation of the plant.

An extensive accessory program completes the broad spectrum of the available rotary furnaces.

Possible accessories are:

• vacuum units
• dust collector
• waste gas cooler
• electrical or gas heated torch
• loading assistance or a
• gas sources for e.g. hydrogen, or other gases