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Elnik’s MIM 3000 furnaces
process any metal with any binder in a "one step debinding and sintering
cycle" without having to move the parts. This is accomplished through a
gas tight refractory metal retort with a gas management system. This system
allows Laminar gas flow to occur which guarantees consistent parts run
after process run. The gas management system consists of mass flow
controllers for the retort and hot zone and a partial pressure valve at the
specially designed and modified dry vacuum pump.
Different
flows of gasses into the hot zone and retort and a slight partial pressure
inside the retort guarantee that no binder materials stick to the cold walls
of the furnace. The retort has gas plenums on each side with a hole pattern
to ensure that heated gas flows evenly across each shelf in the retort.
Additionally, six zone temperature control is provided for the front, middle,
and rear, and for the top and bottom around the retort.
The
laminar gas flow across the shelves guarantees very close
temperature control resulting in excellent temperature uniformity throughout
the usable work zone of the furnace.
This construction guarantees that the parts
are fully debound through the laminar gas flow during the debind cycle and
sintered to full density through the close temperature uniformity during the
sinter cycle. The MIM 3000 utilizes a PLC system with a computer as the
interface and includes a data acquisition system. The user programs each
individual segment freely on a spreadsheet and the furnace is programmed with
all safety systems so that different gasses such as hydrogen, nitrogen, and
argon can be used during debinding and sintering
All controls for flow , temperature, and
partial pressure are fully computerized and automatic. A leak check mode for
the vacuum integrity is built in. All operating data such as temperature, gas
flows, pressure, total power and gas consumption, is logged for each run.
A maintenance screen reminds the user to
service the pumps, change the thermocouples, etc. All of this is installed in
a unitized frame keeping floor space at a minimum. To summarize, consider the advantages when
debinding and sintering in Elnik's MIM 3000 furnace |
