Revolving transfer furnace for treating workpieces

A revolving transfer furnace for treating workpieces (W), comprising:

• a furnace body (10) enclosing a furnace chamber (20) adapted for an atmosphere which differs from the ambient air to be established inside said chamber,
• a treatment rotor (30) arranged in the furnace body (10) so as to be driven in rotation about a central axis (A) and comprising a number of batch locations (36) to each take up a batch of workpieces,
• side chambers (110) connected to the furnace body (10) and designed each for receiving a batch of workpieces from the treatment rotor (30) and for delivering one to the same,
• at least two lock chambers (64) disposed angularly offset relative to each other with respect to the central axis (A) and being opened alternately to the surroundings of the furnace body (10) and to a side chamber (110) so as to each receive and deliver a batch of workpieces, and
• transfer apparatus (112) for translating a batch of workpieces each between a respective one of the aforementioned chambers (64, 110) and the treatment rotor (30), characterized in that
• the lock chambers (64) are located in a lock rotor (60) which likewise is arranged in the furnace body (10) and adapted to be driven in rotation about the central axis (A) such that at least one lock chamber (64) each is periodically opened towards one of the side chambers (110), and
• at least one of the transfer apparatus (112) is designed to translate one batch of workpieces each between the lock rotor (60) and the treatment rotor (30).