Inert-gas Ovens - What You Need To Know

This type of equipment is only a sample of the many industrial ovens, furnaces and kilns offered for the numerous industrial purposes out there. Before selecting an industrial oven, kiln or furnace, it is necessary to know what will function best for your application.

The most used type of oven is probably the batch oven. The best types are fitted with a blower fan which circulates the air within the oven thus creating good temperature uniformity up to 400F (less expensive) and 600F (costlier). Typical uses for batch ovens are curing, drying and heat treating of items.

Much less knowen, but also very necessary in the electronics industry are Burn-In Ovens. These permit a product which is powered up and operationalto be tested at highertemperatures to ensure they will function well in high temperature environments. Also, this mode of testing will speed up any failures that may occur due to bad design of the electronics. The most vital aspect for this type of oven is the ability to cool down and control the temperature even though the item being tested is releasing excessive heat. This is achieved using larger than normal intake and exhausts.

Inert- Gas Ovens are utilized to make sure that no oxidation takes place when certain products are heated to highertemperatures. These ovens require an Inert Gas such as Argon or Nitrogen to be purge thereby removing any oxygen within the oven (which would cause the oxidation). Inert Gas ovens are designed for a wide temperature range of up to 1300F.

Clean-Room Ovens are made with HEPA filters that filter the air inside the oven to make sure that the items being heat treated are not contaminated. These ovens normally have a maximum temperature of 400F due to the natureof the materials from which the HEPA filter are made which will deteriorate at higher temperatures.

Laboratory Ovens are produced in a variety of sizes and temperature ranges. Usually they have a stainless steel interiorand operate on 120V. These ovens are equipped with both manual or programmable type temperature controllers. Although they can be gravity type (no blower for air circulation), the preferred type is forced air which include a blower for air movement and improves temperature uniformity enormously.

Kilns and Furnaces are just very high temperature versions of an oven. Ovens are restricted to about 1300F top temperature whereas a Furnace or Kiln can reach temperatures of 3200F or higher. Furnaces and Kilns typically do not include a blower for air circulation and are constructed using materials that can withstand much higher temperatures than ovens - Typically ceramic brick or similar high temperature materials are utilized.

Oven, Kilns and Furnaces can be expensiveand you may want to consider used units which could be much less expensive. However, be aware of purchasing this type of equipment from just any source. Your best bet would be from a well known dealer who specializes in refurbishing them. If not, you may find yourself with expensive repair bills for replacing heating elements and controllers amongst other things.