Surface hardening of stainless steel pipes in the production of home appliances
We have supplied two SP 970/02 continuous furnaces to a major manufacturer of household appliances (e.g. dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, hobs) for the surface hardening process of stainless steel tubes intended for use in the manufactured range. These furnaces are integrated into the customer's production line, their operation and function are fully automated.
The furnace is equipped with a chain conveyor supplemented with carriers for placing the round charge (tubes), and since the furnace is operated by an automatic manipulator, it was necessary to position these carriers very precisely. The conveyor is moved in steps with a feed rate of 60 seconds and the output part is equipped with a pneumatically controlled lifting mechanism for lifting the charge from the conveyor and removing it by the manipulator.
The furnace is divided into three zones - heating zone, hardening zone and cooling zone. Heating of the charge is ensured by convection (flow) of forced circulation of the internal atmosphere. The furnace is equipped with an exhaust fan and automatically controlled dampers, as well as monitoring of the concentration of hazardous fumes that may be released from the processed charge - a METREX analyzer.