Microwave furnace and a method of sintering
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorHolger Hauptmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microwave furnace has a furnace chamber formed between a chamber housing and a sintering platform for an object to be sintered. A microwave source is arranged for emitting microwaves into the furnace chamber. The microwave furnace further has a susceptor that comprises a material which over a temperature range of the material of at least 23 C to 700 C couples into microwaves. The susceptor and the furnace chamber are movable relative to each other between a first position, in which the susceptor is positioned relative to the furnace chamber, and a second position in which the susceptor is positioned further retracted from the furnace chamber relative to the first position. The invention helps providing a zirconia material with a relative homogeneous material structure.
Claims16
A microwave furnace comprising:
- a furnace chamber formed between a chamber housing and a sintering platform for an object to be sintered;
- a microwave source arranged for emitting microwaves into the furnace chamber;
- a susceptor comprising a material which over a temperature range of the material of at least 23° C. to 700° C. couples into microwaves,
- wherein the susceptor and the furnace chamber are movable relative to each other between a first position, in which the susceptor is positioned relative to the furnace chamber, and a second position in which the susceptor is positioned further retracted from the furnace chamber relative to the first position.
A method of sintering zirconia comprising:
- providing an object made of zirconia on a sintering platform in a furnace chamber of a microwave furnace;
- positioning a susceptor to a first position in which at least part of the susceptor is arranged within the furnace chamber;
- emitting microwaves into the furnace chamber;
- and
- positioning the susceptor to a second position in which the part of the susceptor is arranged outside the furnace chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.