Expandable Modular Vacuum Carburizing Meets Flexible Heat Treating Needs

摘要

The basic modular structure of the mult-i-cell system and its software flexibility allows its utilization for a wide variety of plant configurations, and it has the ability to adapt rapidly to changing production processes and process integrity. These plants can handle frequently changing jobs or large volumes of continuous work with equal ability. Low pressure carburizing with acetylene (Ipsen's AvaC~(TM), the acetylene-vacuum-carburizing process) and high-pressure (to 20 bar) nitrogen gas quenching have been implemented primarily in single-chamber (Fig. 1) and semicontinuous multiple-chamber furnaces (Fig. 2). An alternative to the single- and multiple-chamber furnaces is a continuous vacuum installation like the Ipsen mult-i-line system (Fig. 3), which is specially designed for high throughputs of identical or similar parts. To further meet the technological and commercial needs of a flexible heat treatment facility, Ipsen developed its mult-i-cell system, an expandable modular linked concept with stand-alone single-chamber modules (Fig. 4). Fully automated heat treatment centers for a wide variety of throughput rates and processes can be created around three basic modules, all designed on reliable, proven technology.