Slit-Pocket Degassing Chamber for High-Throughput Heat Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing batch heater and cooler systems for workpieces in inline processing are limited by the physics of the outgassing process, leading to constraints on throughput due to the need for extended heat-treatment or cooling times, and are often costly and space-intensive due to the use of multiple individual heater plates.
Innovation Solution
A batch heat treatment chamber with a single metal block or thermally coupled metal parts, featuring slit-pockets for workpiece accommodation, provides efficient heat exchange and thermal management through a gas feed line arrangement for pre-heating or pre-cooling, and a door arrangement for controlled access, allowing for extended treatment times without sacrificing throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple individual heater plates are used for batch heating, then heating capacity is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual heater plates into a single monoblock heater structure that contains multiple heating zones. This monoblock design integrates the functionality of multiple separate heaters while reducing device complexity, space requirements, and thermal interference between zones, directly resolving the contradiction between heating capacity and device complexity
2Reliability
If extended heat-treatment times are used for degassing, then degassing quality is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monoblock heater into multiple independently controllable heating zones, each capable of operating at different temperature levels and power settings. This allows simultaneous processing of different workpiece types with different degassing requirements, enabling extended treatment times for complex cases while maintaining high throughput through parallel processing in other zones
3Device complexity
If a single monoblock heater is used, then device complexity is reduced, but heating uniformity across different workpiece positions may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by providing each heating zone within the monoblock with independent temperature and power control capabilities. This allows customization of heating parameters for each specific zone and workpiece type, ensuring optimal heating uniformity and degassing performance for different positions and materials while maintaining the simplicity of a single integrated structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables longer heat-treatment or cooling times for workpieces while maintaining high throughput and reducing costs and space requirements by using a single, thermally efficient chamber design that maintains consistent temperature and minimizes thermal interference between slit-pockets.
Implementation Method 1
a gas feed line arrangement for pre-heating or pre-cooling
Implementation Method 2
A batch heat treatment chamber with a single metal block or thermally coupled metal parts, featuring slit-pockets for workpiece accommodation, provides efficient heat exchange
Data Source
AI summary
A heater and/or cooler chamber includes a heat storage block or chunk. In the block a multitude of parallel, stacked slit pockets each dimensioned to accommodate a single plate shaped workpiece. Workpiece handling openings of the slit pockets are freed and respectively covered by a door arrangement. The slit pockets are tailored to snuggly surround the plate shaped workpieces therein so as to establish an efficient heat transfer between the heat storage block or chunk and the workpieces to be cooled or heated.