High throughput furnace
AssigneeWildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSteven Kaye, Mark Gresser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A continuous furnace has a housing defining an interior chamber, and a plurality of endless rotatable devices within the interior chamber arranged in a series of rows with multiple ones of the endless rotatable devices in each of the rows. Multiple heaters are within the interior chamber adjacent to the plurality of endless rotatable devices. A drive system is configured to drive at least some of the endless rotatable devices at different speeds than others of the endless rotatable devices. Nozzles may be used to dispense fluid onto material sample containers passing through the furnace along the endless rotatable devices.
Claims20
A furnace comprising:
- a housing defining an interior chamber;
- a plurality of endless rotatable devices within the interior chamber arranged in a series of rows with multiple ones of the endless rotatable devices in each of the rows;
- multiple heaters within the interior chamber adjacent to the plurality of endless rotatable devices;
- and
- a drive system operable to drive at least some of the endless rotatable devices at different speeds than others of the endless rotatable devices.
A furnace for heat-treating material samples that are housed in material sample containers, comprising:
- a housing defining an interior chamber, a first antechamber at one end of the interior chamber, and a second antechamber at an opposing end of the interior chamber;
- a plurality of belts within the interior chamber arranged in a series of rows with multiple ones of the belts in each of the rows;
- wherein each belt is configured to support one of the material sample containers;
- a first set of heaters within the interior chamber on one side of the series of rows of belts and a second set of heaters within the interior chamber on an opposing side of the series of rows of belts;
- a plurality of nozzles configured to spray fluid at least generally toward at least one of the rows of belts;
- and
- a drive system operatively connected to the plurality of belts and configured to drive at least some of the belts at different speeds than others of the belts to move the material sample containers through the housing at different speeds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.