Continuous Furnaces

Continuous furnaces consist of the same basic components as batch furnaces: an insulated chamber, heating system, and access doors. However, continuous furnaces operate in uninterrupted cycles and are readily adaptable to automation and thus generally are (though not always) used for high volume work. Some types are equipped to provide cooling under a protective atmosphere. The furnaces offer precise repetition of time-temperature cycles. In terms of atmosphere control, the frequent door openings can upset internal atmospheres during charge and discharge cycles, and it is sometimes difficult to keep the atmospheres segregated by zone in single-chamber furnaces. Continuous furnaces generally can be classified as either rotary-hearth or straight-chamber furnaces. In a rotary-hearth furnace, the floor of the heating chamber rotates inside a stationary roof and inner and outer walls, with a sand or liquid seal between the floor and walls.