Tempering Furnace

Zibo Jimeng Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd. is located in Huantai County, which is known as the hometown of architecture and the county of tons of grain. It is close to the former residence of Wang Yuyang, a historical and cultural celebrity. The company currently has 30 employees, covers an area of 8,000 square meters, has a standardized production workshop of 2,000 square meters and an office building of 1,000 square meters, and has a relatively complete quality control system and complete processing capabilities.

Tempering is most often performed after hardening processes. In these processes, the material is heated above its upper critical temperature followed by a rapid cooling aka quenching operation. Quenching is the immersion of steel in oil, hot water or forced air.

Such an operation makes the material hard and brittle, as brittle as glass in some cases. While we do need high hardness in many applications, the increased brittleness that accompanies it is not as desirable.

To reduce the brittleness and restore ductility, the metals are reheated, this time to lower temperatures (above 200°C). This helps us to strike a balance between hardness and ductility. The cooling rate during tempering is also slower than quenching.

For best results, the tempering process must be carried out immediately after quench-hardening. This helps to avoid the brittle characteristics brought out by the hardening process.

It should be kept in mind that any errors during the process can damage, distort or warp the material.

Tempering is also carried out when the material is hardened through other means such as a welding process. It also works for work-hardened materials. These are materials that have become hard through processes such as bending, drilling, forming, punching and rolling.

Tempering furnaces play an important role in many metallurgical manufacturing operations including tempering, preheating, quenching, stress relieving, normalizing, aging, heat treatment solution, annealing, hydrogen embitterment relief, and more. These processes are often performed continuously, and that is why preventative maintenance on tempering furnaces is crucial. This can prolong the overall lifespan of your equipment as well as minimize the possibility of debilitating downtime. The most important part of preventative maintenance is regularly scheduled thorough inspections of the heat treating equipment. Inspections can catch small issues before they become major problems with expensive solutions. Below are some general guidelines and procedures when it comes to general maintenance and part replacement for your tempering furnace.

The first recommendations for preventative maintenance are about keeping the furnace clean. Always turn the equipment off before cleaning. Regularly clean rear and front louvers and ventilation ports. Clean interior control panel when dirty. Make sure your hands are free from oil, dirt, and chemicals when setting the temperature selector. Clean up and spills and remove any deposits from chamber walls. Always take care when loading or unloading the chamber to avoid damage to thermocouples or heating elements. It is also important to lubricate fan shaft bearings with high-temp lithium grease every three months. Inspect the fan belt regularly and replace if it looks cracked or worn. And obviously, never exceed the maximum operating temperature of the furnace.

In addition to cleaning and preventing failures of parts, it is important to keep an eye on the amount of energy being used and making sure your machine is running at the highest efficiency. Regularly inspecting the door seal will prevent heat and energy loss that can be quite costly if such loss goes unnoticed. These simple preventative tasks can prevent expensive replacements and downtime. Always refer to the user's manual for your tempering furnace when performing maintenance and repairs, and call the manufacturer if you have further questions or concerns about how your equipment is running. Being careless early on, or ignoring warning signs can mean big head aches later in the game. Save yourself the trouble and time by performing regular preventative maintenance.