High Temperature Furnace Lab
To facilitate the development and characterization of ceramic materials, MCL operates a computer-controlled sintering furnace system consisting of 18 furnaces.
There are two high temperature box furnaces capable of 1650°C, four mid-range 1400°C box furnaces, ten lower range 1100°C box furnaces, one five inch diameter 1000°C tube furnace and one 1.75 inch diameter 1400°C tube furnace. The centralized computer control allows the operator to program any temperature profile desired and record the profile achieved. Both tube furnaces allow sintering in various atmospheres and use heating and cooling rates below 2.5°C/minute.
Also available is a rate-controlled (fast-fire) sintering furnace capable of heating or cooling a small sample at a rate limited fundamentally by the sample's heat transfer characteristics. A stepping motor and translating stage push a sample into or out of a pre-heated tube furnace with a well-characterized gradient thus allowing heating or cooling rates limited primarily by the samples own heat capacity (specific heat) and thermal conductance (thermal conductivity).
Contact Information
Jeff Long
252 MRL Bldg.
Ph: 814-863-8190
Email: Validate to view address - Send Email via form
Equipment
- Box furnaces
- Two 1650°C
- Four 1400°C
- Ten 1100°C - Tube furnaces
- 5 inch diameter, 1000°C
- 1.75 inch diameter, 1400° - Other furnaces
- high heating rate sintering furnace
Rates
Click here to view current pricing rates
Sample Preparation
In general, sample size is not critical but should be within two or three inches in the longest dimensions.