Solar Manufacturing of Souderton, Pa., completed the shipment and commissioning of a model HCB-84288-2EQ vacuum car-bottom furnace to VSMPO-AVISMA Company in Verkhnaya Salda, Russia. The furnace, capable of processing 50,000-pound loads of titanium forgings and plate for aerospace and medical products, is specifically designed for large, heavy loads. Its graphite-insulated hot zone is rated for a maximum temperature of 2250°F. The furnace configuration includes two independent transfer cars travelling on a common rail carriage, which positions one or the other transfer cars in the front of the furnace to load or unload charges into the work zone. Each transfer car is capable of handling 50,000-pound loads. Moving and positioning the carriage and both transfer cars is accomplished using a small, handheld wireless transmitter.

The horizontal, car-bottom vacuum heat-treating furnace also features dual vacuum pumping systems consisting of two 35-inch diffusion pumps, dual high-velocity gas-quenching systems with variable-speed drives and the SolarVac 3000 control system. Its work zone measures 54 inches high x 54 inches wide x 288 inches long.