Double-chamber type heat-treating furnace

A double-chamber type heat-treating furnace comprising:

• (a) a hermetically closable cooling furnace incorporating therein a cooling chamber and arranged for cooling an object after being subjected to heating;
• (b) a hermetically closable heating furnace incorporating therein a heating chamber disposed at a position adjacent to the cooling chamber and arranged for heating the object;
• and
• (c) a transfer unit arranged for transferring the object between the heating chamber and the cooling chamber, wherein
• the transfer unit comprises
• i. a plurality of free rollers disposed within the heating and cooling chambers, respectively, and for supporting the object at only both ends of the object in a direction of width thereof to be movable in a transferring direction;
• ii. a push-pull member capable of moving while being engaged with the object thereby pushing or pulling the object between the heating and cooling chambers, wherein the push-pull member is of a length such that when a rearmost end of the push-pull member comes to a position close to a first side of the heating chamber, a frontmost end of the push-pull member arrives at a position located inside the cooling chamber;
• and
• iii. a drive unit arranged at a position adjacent to the heating chamber on a side opposite to a side on which the cooling chamber is disposed and capable of driving the push-pull device.