12 Foot Long Vacuum Furnace Installed

Solar Atmospheres Inc, Souderton PA, has installed its second VFS HL 84 furnace.  The first HL 84 furnace with its five-foot working diameter and 10 foot depth was installed seven years ago when Solar moved into its present facility.  The second VFS HL 84 furnace is 12 feet deep and became operational in April 1998.  This furnace will be capable of handling loads up to 15,000 lbs. with a special load truck designed by Solar’s Plant Engineer and Vice President, Bruce Craven and Fabrication Alloy Products, East Greenville, PA.

The 12 foot deep VFS HL 84 has applications for the tubing industry with capability to anneal the random, straight lengths of stainless steel. Large parts, up to 5 feet in width and height, can be vacuum heat treated. The extra furnace capacity improves turnaround time for large loads of parts.  Solar utilizes alloy baskets that enable large loads of smaller parts to be processed.