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Pusher Furnaces

MELLEN's pusher furnaces are designed for continuous operation, pushing plates around a rectangular work pattern through the furnace.  The Pusher Furnace produces a two phase work cycle:

PHASE I -The plates are pushed along a stainless steel rack on the front of the furnace.  At this time, the processed product is removed, and new product added.

PHASE II - The product is pushed  toward the back of the machine and inserted into the queue for the main pusher.  Once in line with the main pusher, the product is pushed into the furnace.  The product is then pushed  back to the front tray where it can be unloaded and then reloaded.

MELLEN offers various models of pusher furnace, based on size and pushing speed.  The systems are designed to support adjustable push rates as well as adjustable temperatures.  Please see the description of furnace zoning below for temperature ranges available.

The motion system is all computer controlled, utilizing various  micro-stepping motors and controllers dependent on furnace size. 

The push rates range from  0.1" up to 5.0" per minute and can be adjusted further by the introduction of gear reducers.

Temperature control is also computer controlled as specified by the description of the ADAPT System. 

The Furnace

The furnace is comprised of a double wall shell, separated by an air space to facilitate lead cooling a provide a cooler exterior.  The shell is comprised of 1/8"  thick sheet metal as well as 1/4" thick endplates.  The furnace is a welded construction with all of the holes and cutouts manufactured on computer controlled machinery.  The entire furnace assembly, including the insulation construction are machined using CNC devices to insure repeatability and accuracy as relates to the design.

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The Insulation

The insulation is energy efficient consisting of brick for the internal walls backed up by ceramic fiber insulation.  A full insulation wall is provided to insure the heat remains inside the furnace.  The thicker wall has another purpose, as well. 

Other designs  rely on a thin insulation wall to cut costs.  While the initial investment is reduced using this method, the furnace life suffers as thermal stresses on the insulation pack cause a breakdown in the furnace lining. In a MELLEN pusher furnace, short of a mechanical issue where the insulation pack is impacted by a hard object, the furnace lining should never need replacement.  This will not be the case with the thinner walled designs.

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Elements

The heating elements have been specially selected and the layout specially designed to insure that the elements never exceed the manufacturer's recommended watt density.  Even during heat-up there are no restrictions to how much power is supplied.  While the furnace is idling at temperature, it is running well below the manufacturer's recommendations for watt density.  This, coupled with the design distance from the other elements as well as the chamber wall and work charge, insures a long life for the heating element.

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Contact MELLEN for more details or complete a Request for Additional Information.

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 MELLEN can raise your operating temperature in more ways than one, the hotter the better.