Largest commercial vacuum furnace construction nearing completion

Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania and Solar Mfg. Inc. are building what they say is the largest vacuum furnace in the world. The working hot zone of this high-vacuum (three 35-in. Varian diffusion pumps) furnace is 80 in. dia. by 48 ft. long, with a maximum operating temperature of 2,400 degrees F. Thirty-five points of temperature will be surveyed to within +/- 10 degrees F per the AMS 2750E specification.

The patented dual-load car design can transfer up to 150,000 lbs. of material in and out of the furnace. For dimensionally critical, near-net-shaped jobs, the dual-load car design will maintain the support needed at elevated temperatures to keep parts flat to within 0.030 in., the company states.

The furnace is expected to be commissioned into production in July 2016.