MRF builds custom high temperature vacuum or controlled atmosphere furnaces. If your application does not fit standard off-the-shelf furnaces, you’ve come to the right place. MRF continuously designs and builds new products from the ground up for new production techniques and developing research applications. MRF also builds many custom chambers for integration with other equipment or instrumentation. MRF works closely with customers and suppliers designing many exclusive furnaces. Below is a small sample of our custom furnaces.
8 Station Semi-conductor Wafer Indexer
This system was designed specifically for ion-beam processing of 2″ or 3″ semi-conductor wafers at elevated temperatures. It consists of a tabletop furnace with a high precision DC power supply and indexing system.The indexing system allows precise control of the wafer position and permits batch processing of 8 wafers per run. The wafers are rotated to the heater and will be heated up in a matter of seconds before the ion-beam processing can commence. Temperature is controlled by an optical pyrometer reading the surface temperature of the heated wafer. A large access port allows attachment of the ion beam instrumentation. The furnace is a complete turn key system with a vacuum system, inert gas system, indexing servo controls , temperature controls and water cooling.
Neutron Beam Furnace
A government research system involving neutron beam bombardment at elevated temperatures with stressed materials under a controlled vacuum atmosphere, and that’s probably saying too much.
General Specifications:
- 1800°C
- Turbo pumping system
- Horizontal heating elements
- Large access chamber
- Labview interface
- Mounts in test frame
Steam Furnace
This custom furnace was designed for a government agency to process ceramic materials under special conditions. The steam atmosphere generated by this furnace was one of the process requirements for our customer. The design for this unique application process is yet another example of MRFs custom design philosophy meeting the needs of our customers and their special application processes.
General Specifications:
- 1000°C
- 8″ diameter x 2″ usable zone
- Embedded heating elements
- Adjustable wet or dry steam generator
- Mounts in test equipment
Cryogenic Ultra High Vacuum Furnace
This ultra high vacuum system can reach pressures as low as 1E-11 Torr, using a three stage pumping system consisting of an oil-free roughing pump, turbo molecular pump and Ion pump. The 14″ diameter x 14″ high bell jar chamber houses a bake-out heating element to achieve lower vacuum levels and chamber heating element to elevate processed parts up to 500°C. Observation of the chamber environment can be achieved through a 2″ sapphire window. The bell jar chamber is lifted with a hoist mechanism and can be replaced with a glass bell jar for improved optical observation and measurement.
This furnace is used to determine thermionic cathode temperatures, study emission characteristics and failure mechanisms.
Hydrogen Tube Furnace
Inconel, Quartz or Alumina Muffle tube for operation in an air, inert gas or Hydrogen environment at temperatures up to 1200°C. The heated section measures 24″ (610 mm) long and the muffle tube diameter can be 2″, 3″ or 4″ (51 mm, 76 mm or 102 mm). A burn-off assembly is provided to safely burn hydrogen or other flammable gasses. The muffle tube is sealed at both ends. The heaters consist of a split tube with top and bottom heaters, and operate in air. Ceramic insulation surrounds the heaters and minimizes heat losses.
A water bubbler is an option to provide wet hydrogen as the atmosphere.
Dual multi application Hot press- Tube furnace
Dual purpose furnace, with one control system and a single power supply to control two furnaces.
Furnace 1 is a front loading multi-application furnace which includes a 5 ton hot press furnace with a maximum temperature of 2500°C. It has a 4″ diameter by 7.5″ high ( 102 mm x 190 mm) graphite heating element and fibrous graphite shielding.
Or switch over to use the top loading vertical tube furnace with a 2″ diameter by 44″ high (51 mm x 1118 mm) graphite heating element and graphite fibrous heat shielding, also capable of temperatures up to 2500°C.
A single power supply enclosure houses all instrumentation and is easily set up for controlling either furnace. Substantial savings were realized by giving a single power supply and control instrument the ability to control two furnaces.
Debinding furnace
Also referred to as delube or degassing furnaces, these relative low temperature furnaces are built to remove binders and lubricants from pressed powders, compounds or ceramics before further treatment. A collection trap at the bottom of the chamber collects driven off binders, a second filter chamber removes other particles. Filter media and set-up is dependent on the binder material and condensation temperature. A high-speed pumping system is capable of evacuating this system to 10-3 Torr.
This particular model features three load stacks and a bell-jar type chamber that is lifted with an electric actuator. Three separately controlled heating zones are capable of heating up product up to 600°C. Each hot zone measures 9″ diameter and 20″ high (228 mm x 508 mm).
Custom chambers
MRF designs many furnace systems and chambers to accommodate customer requests or for integration with other systems and instruments not supplied by us. We work closely with our customers and suppliers of the other systems to ensure a perfect marriage and complete compatibility. Large or small, you’ll be impressed by our “can do” attitude.
