Vacuum sintering furnace is a common heat treatment equipment widely used in metal materials, ceramic materials, composite materials and other fields. Its working principle is sintering under vacuum condition, which makes the raw material particles combine with each other to form dense and uniform materials.
The main components of vacuum sintering furnace include furnace body, heating system, vacuum system and atmosphere control system. Among them, the furnace body is the main place for material processing, which is also the key component to maintain high temperature, corrosion resistance and sealing. The heating system can provide efficient heating power and temperature stability; the vacuum system and atmosphere control system are used to remove and control oxygen and other gases during sintering.
The working process of vacuum sintering furnace can be divided into several steps:
1. Establish vacuum environment.
When the sintering furnace begins to sinter, the air and other gases in the furnace should be discharged first to establish a vacuum environment. The operation steps are to open the furnace door, put the material into the furnace, close the door, start the vacuum pump and start discharging. The discharging speed needs to be gradually increased until the required vacuum degree is reached. This process usually takes several minutes to several hours, depending on the specifications of the sintering furnace and the type of material.
2. Vacuum sintering furnace heating and insulation.
After establishing the required vacuum environment, close the vacuum pump and heat the sintering furnace to the required temperature. The heating methods include gas, electric heating, radiation heating and so on. Temperature control is the key point of this link, which can be monitored by temperature sensors such as thermocouple and infrared radiation meter. After reaching the required temperature, insulation is needed to make the material react in solid phase and meet the requirements of sintering during the insulation process.
3. Vacuum sintering furnace cooling.
After the sintering is finished, the sintering furnace needs to be cooled to room temperature. Cooling can usually be divided into two ways: rapid cooling and slow cooling. Rapid cooling can be achieved by closing the heating system and starting the cooling system, but it should be noted that the temperature should be gradually reduced to avoid damage to the material caused by too large temperature difference. Slow cooling can be achieved by reducing the heating power and natural cooling.
In general, the working principle of vacuum sintering furnace is to sinter under vacuum condition to make the raw material particles combine with each other to form dense and uniform materials. Its operation process includes vacuum exhaust, heating and insulation, cooling. During the sintering process, temperature, pressure and time parameters should be strictly controlled to obtain good sintered materials.
