Hot-Stamping Furnace and Method of Hot Stamping
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsRaj SOHMSHETTY, Constantin CHIRIAC, S. George LUCKEY, JR., Nia R. HARRISON, Peter A. FRIEDMAN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hot-stamping furnace includes a housing defining a heating chamber partitioned into compartments configured to have different temperatures. The heating chamber includes an opening that is at least partially covered by a door movably mounted on the housing. The door is configured to extend over only a portion of the opening when in a closed position. A detachable panel extends from an edge of the door such that the panel extends over a portion of the opening that the door does not extend over.
Claims20
A hot-stamping furnace comprising:
- a housing defining a heating chamber partitioned into compartments configured to have different temperatures, wherein the heating chamber includes an opening;
- a door movably mounted on the housing to extend over only a portion of the opening when in a closed position;
- and
- a detachable panel extending from an edge of the door such that the panel extends over a portion of the opening that the door does not extend over.
A hot-stamping furnace comprising:
- a housing defining a heating chamber having an opening;
- a partition dividing the chamber into first and second zones each extending to the opening, the second zone being configured to have a higher temperature than the first zone;
- and
- a door mounted to the housing and including a panel positioned to cover the opening in front of the second zone but not cover the opening in front of the first zone.
A hot-stamping furnace comprising:
- a housing defining a heating chamber including a front, a back, a ceiling, and a floor having an array of locating features extending between the front and the back and distributed across a width of the floor;
- and
- a partition disposed in the chamber such that a lower end of the partition engages with one of the locating features and an upper end is adjacent to the ceiling to divide the chamber into first and a second zones configured to have different temperatures.
A method of heat treating a component in a furnace having at least first and second compartments configured to have different temperatures and a door including a panel, the method comprising:
- inserting the component through an opening of the furnace such that a first portion of the component is in the first compartment and a second portion of the component is in the second compartment;
- heating the first compartment to a temperature calculated to heat the first portion of the component above an AC3 temperature within a predetermined time;
- heating the second compartment to a temperature calculated not to heat the second portion of the component above an AC1 temperature within the predetermined time;
- and
- closing the door over the opening such that the door only partially covers the opening and such that the panel fully covers the opening in front of the first compartment and does not cover the opening in front of the second compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.