Solar Manufacturing - Model HFL-IQ -Horizontal Internal Quench Vacuum Furnaces

The HFL-IQ model is a horizontal front loading, internal quench, vacuum heat treating and brazing furnace generally designed for high production commercial and captive heat treating shops. It is a high temperature, high vacuum, batch-type furnace with electric resistance heating elements. All aspects of form, fit and function are designed for easy maintenance and minimal downtime.  Designed for heat treating, hardening, brazing, stress relieving, normalizing, annealing, tempering, sintering, homogenizing, degassing, diffusion bonding, creep forming, low pressure carburizing.

• Designed for easy maintenance and minimal downtime
• Weight capacity of up to 7,500 pounds
• Energy efficient graphite felt insulation for operating temperatures up to 2500°F
• Temperature uniformity of ±10°F
• Internal gas quenching up to 270 PSIG (20 Bar)
• SolarVac^® fully automated and programmable industrial controls package
• Backed by fully stocked spare parts warehouse and the best technical support
• Comprehensive one year warranty

Solar Manufacturing produces both metallic shielded or graphite insulated hot zones, depending on your specific processing requirements.

Graphite Hot Zone Construction:

• Operating temperature: 2400°F
• Maximum temperature: 2500°F
• Temperature uniformity: ±10°F
• AMS 2750 compliant
• Survey temp points at 1000°F / 1500°F / 2100°F
• Insulation: multiple layers of 0.5” thick high purity rayon graphite felt
• Hot Face: one layer of 0.075” thick CFC
• Heating Elements: rugged segmented, graphite bands or ML Molybdenum bands, supported with a Solar proprietary design to reduce metallization of insulation materials and increasing the ease of maintenance
• Hearth: Molybdenum or graphite insulation and rails
• Support Structure: insulation and heating elements mounted on a heavy duty 304 stainless steel fabrication with heavy duty, back up shields of 0.090” thick

All-Metal Shielded Hot Zone Construction:

• Operating temperature: 2400°F
• Maximum temperature: 2500°F
• Temperature uniformity: ±10°F
• AMS 2750 compliant
• Survey temp points at 1000°F / 1500°F / 2100°F
• Insulation: combinations of molybdenum and/or stainless steel sheet metal
  • Other shielding materials are available depending on the application and temperature requirements
• Hot Face: Lanthanated Molybdenum hot face increases hot zone life expectancy
• Heating Elements: rugged segmented, curved graphite bands or ML Molybdenum bands, supported with a Solar proprietary design to reduce metallization of insulation materials and increasing the ease of maintenance
• Hearth: TZM hearth rails for strength at high temperatures
• Support Structure: all stainless steel support structure material increases the cleanliness and decreases pump-down time

The power supply is adequately sized to properly and efficiently heat the furnace and workload.

• MSI SCR fan cooled or air conditioned NEMA cabinet
• Hunterdon VRT (water cooled)

• Available in either carbon steel or stainless steel construction
• Door closure methods include Autoclave locking ring, Pneumatic clamps or standard bolted design
• All chambers are fabricated in the USA, using materials also produced in the USA

• The internal gas quench system provides the lowest resistance, highest efficiency gas flow in the industry.
• Cooling motors up to 300 horsepower are available which are matched to a computer balanced fan to recirculate the quench gas straight through the water-to-gas heat exchanger and then into the hot zone at high velocity.
• The tapered graphite gas nozzles are specifically directed at the work load for optimum cooling.
• Stepdown transformers and variable speed drives (VFDs) are available

• Mechanical Pump: Edwards rotary piston vacuum Pump
• Diffusion Pump: Varian, adequately sized depending on requirements
• Holding Pump: High capacity rotary vane pump
• High Vacuum Valve: Right angle poppet valve

At the heart of the furnace control system is the SolarVac^® controls and Automation.  This advanced control system is capable of vacuum furnace control and monitoring even while at a remote location.

• All industrial controls and instrumentation are housed in a suitable NEMA 12 control cabinet.
  • Cabinet is designed to NFPA Standards and electrostatically powder coated to match the furnace system.
• Operator Interface: High Definition touchscreen 21.5” “Human Machine Interface”
• Programmable Logic Controller: Allen-Bradley CompactLogix
• Over-temperature Controller: Honeywell Model UDC2500
• Graphic Video Recorder: Eurotherm 6100 Series with up to 48 input channels and Ethernet capabilities
• Vacuum Gauge Controller: Televac
• Control and Over-temperature Thermocouples: Type “S” with additional SAT ports available
• Work Thermocouples: Type “K” or type “N”, built in guaranteed soak feature

• Solar Conservac^® System
• ElementGuard off-line element protection system
• Gas backfill reservoir
• Carbon Fiber (CFC), RA330 and molybdenum work grids
• Water cooling systems
• Furnace loading systems

Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC) is a specialized, highly technical process pioneered by Solar Atmospheres designed to increase fatigue life and improve wear properties of your parts. The case hardened surface is supported by a ductile, shock-absorbing core capable of withstanding high load bearing applications. LPC produces a uniform, high-quality case with minimized distortion and absence of Intergranular Oxidation (IGO), reducing or eliminating expensive post heat treating machining operations.

Solar Manufacturing offers the LPC capabilities on the Internal Quench Series model lines. The furnace is a horizontal front loading, internal quench, low pressure carburizing furnace generally designed for high production commercial and captive heat treating shops. It is a high-temperature, batch type, vacuum furnace with electric resistance heating elements also capable of performing additional vacuum heat treat processes other than LPC alone.

• Alloy Steels
• Titanium
• Tantalum
• Inconel
• Nitinol
• Stainless Steel
• Tool Steel
• Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel (PH)
• AerMet^® 100
• Tungsten
• Zirconium
• High Speed Tool Steels
• Copper
• Brass
• Hot Working Tool Steels
• Nickel Based Alloys
• . . . and more

• Aircraft parts and equipment
• Power Generation blades and components
• Medical devices
• Additive manufactured components
• Implants
• Tooling
• Gears
• Braze assemblies
• Plate
• Forgings
• Bar
• Ingots
• Weldments
• Structural Components
• Castings
• Sheet
• Tube and pipe
• . . . and more