Overlooked Specifications in Customizing Heat Treating Equipment

From industrial convection ovens to plating lines and industrial tanks, heat treating equipment is essential to many industrial facilities. Within heat treatment, there are many techniques that can be used to alter the physical and chemical properties of a material, such as annealing, case hardening, precipitation strengthening, and more.

Considering the complexities of this process, advanced and customized heat treating equipment is needed.

Eastman Manufacturing specializes in the manufacturing of custom heat treating equipment. Whenever we make a custom order for our clients, we are mindful of the specifications that are often overlooked or underestimated. We advise our clients to make the best decision possible for their heat treating equipment, based on these considerations:

1. Ensure the oven’s opening is the appropriate size for the application.

Oftentimes, when it comes to specifying custom equipment, clients focus on the length and width of the ovens. With that, the oven loading opening can be neglected when it is just as important. The sizing of the opening will play a big role in what kind of items you can load into the oven as well as how long it will take the oven to reach its desired temperature.

There are also different types of openings. For instance, for products that have to be loaded onto a shelf, the standard reach-in front load models are the most suitable. They can be used for lightweight and easy-to-handle parts. On the other hand, large, heavy parts or truck-loading applications will benefit more from walk-in front-loading models. For overhead loading applications, a top-loading opening will have to be built.

2. Determine the mechanics of the opening.  

Heat treating equipment can come with either powered or manual doors. In general, the ovens that utilize powered doors have overhead lifts. This is to ensure smoother and safer operations. Other applications require drawers rather than doors. You should consider drawer openings if the process time needed is long and requires frequent access, for example: processes involving multiple small batches and applications concerning parts with varied start and stop times. These drawers are available in light duty cabinet styles to heavy duty models with track and trolley support systems.

3. Decide on the method of heating.

Another important factor when customizing heat treating equipment is energy consumption. Of all the different sources of power, electric heat is the most expensive while gas heating is the least. In terms of efficiency, electric heat is usually considered to be 100% efficient while the efficiency of gas-fired ovens is dependent on temperature and the air ventilation requirements of the heat treating equipment. Electric heat also provides more uniform temperature.

Between the two different types of gas heating, direct gas-fired heating is more efficient than indirect heating but the latter offers a cleaner chamber environment. If your application requires an inert atmosphere or faster processing times, it will be best for you to look for heat exchangers that can provide faster cooling rates and lower temperatures.

As you can see, extensive consultation is needed when it comes to specifying custom heat treating equipment, which is why the experts at Eastman Manufacturing make sure that we are with you every step of the way. Get in touch today to learn more about custom industrial equipment!