Tunnel Furnace: Product Overview
A Tunnel Furnace is an industrial heating system designed for continuous, high-volume thermal processing. It features an elongated, insulated heating chamber (the "tunnel") through which products move steadily on a conveyor system (roller hearth, belt, pusher, or walking beam).
Key Characteristics & Functionality
Continuous Processing: Products enter at one end and exit at the other after undergoing a controlled heating/cooling cycle, enabling non-stop production.
Programmable Temperature Zones: The tunnel is divided into multiple independently controlled heating (and often cooling) zones. This allows precise definition of thermal profiles:
Uniform Heating: Engineered airflow and heating elements ensure consistent temperature distribution across the product batch and along the tunnel length within each zone.
Versatile Temperature Ranges: Available to operate from relatively low temperatures (~100°C / 212°F) for drying/curing, up to very high temperatures (exceeding 1700°C / 3092°F) for sintering or melting. Common ranges are 500°C - 1100°C (932°F - 2012°F).
Atmosphere Control (Optional): Can be equipped to operate under specific atmospheres (Inert: N2, Ar; Reducing: H2, H2/N2; Vacuum) to prevent oxidation, facilitate reduction, or enable specialized processes.
High Throughput & Efficiency: Optimized for large batches and long production runs, significantly reducing energy consumption per unit compared to batch furnaces.
Automation Integration: Designed for seamless integration into automated production lines, minimizing manual handling.
Primary Applications
Ceramics: Firing of tiles, sanitaryware, technical ceramics, refractories.
Metallurgy: Annealing, brazing, sintering (metal powders, PM parts), tempering, stress relieving, hardening of metals.
Electronics: Firing of thick film circuits, MLCC capacitors, ferrites.
Glass: Annealing, bending, tempering.
Automotive: Catalyst coating drying/curing, component heat treatment.
General Manufacturing: Drying, curing (paints, coatings, composites), calcination.
Key Advantages
High Productivity: Continuous operation maximizes output.
Consistent Quality: Precise temperature control and uniformity ensure repeatable results.
Reduced Labor Costs: High level of automation.
Energy Efficiency: Lower specific energy consumption than batch furnaces for equivalent throughput.
Process Control: Ability to create complex, precisely controlled thermal profiles.
Scalability: Length and configuration can be tailored to specific production volumes and processes.
Common Configurations
Roller Hearth Furnace: Products move on motorized ceramic/metallic rollers.
Mesh Belt Furnace: Products conveyed on a continuous wire mesh belt.
Slab Pusher Furnace: Batches loaded onto refractory slabs pushed through the tunnel.
Walking Beam Furnace: Products lifted and moved incrementally by beams.
