DESIGNS OF VACUUM FURNACE FACILITIES ALLOW FLEXIBILITY OF QUENCHING FOR HEAT TREATING VARIETY OF STEELS.

The development of vacuum heat treatment furnaces has progressed during recent years in the direction of complete, largely automatically operating processing systems in which, in addition to the hardening of steels by quenching in various media, high temperature brazing is also gaining in importance. This article is an abridgement of a paper presented at the exhibition 'GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS' in Dusseldorf, FRG. Explained are the potentials for increased hardenability, more uniform hardening of less distortion and improved surface quality by processing under vacuum in different furnace types.