U.S. Patent Office Issues Solar Manufacturing 20 Bar Furnace Patent 9,187,799

Souderton, PA – Solar Manufacturing announced today the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has officially issued a patent for the new 20 bar super quench vacuum furnace as Patent number 9,187,799.  The official patent is available to the public at USPTO.gov.

Pictured is Solar Manufacturing’s 20 bar high pressure quench vacuum heat treating furnace currently in production at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA.

One major advantage of the new design is the use of movable radiation baffle doors that prevent heat loss during heat cycles and open wide to avoid pressure drops during cooling cycles. The application of the open doors in combination with the use of a plenum fan arrangement, generous annular space for uniform gas flow, and a low static pressure loss nozzle design provide inert gas quenching capabilities typically achieved only with oil quenching by concentrating the available system horsepower on the task of producing a high nozzle exit velocity. The system also permits excellent cooling at lower pressures. Low pressure cooling is typically sacrificed by undersized fans normally selected for high pressure quench systems. The new system operates in a constant horsepower mode over a large range of quenching pressures.

Commercially, Solar Manufacturing’s first 20 bar high pressure quench vacuum heat treating furnace is located at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. The furnace has a 36” x 36” x 48” work zone with a 5,000 lbs. load capacity, and the cooling rates are reported to be significantly better than any other high pressure gas quench furnace currently in production.