The continuous steam treatment process serves the enhancement of part-specific properties, e.g. firmness, abrasion- and corrosion-resistance.
Various powder metallurgically manufactured components undergo treatment according to this procedure. Under this method, a thin layer of magnetite (Fe3O4) is formed. Depending on the treatment duration, it penetrates deeply into the pores of the sintered part and makes it gas-tight.
Up to the present, for this purpose bell furnaces have been applied and have been providing satisfactory product qualities.
Due to their cyclical operation, these furnaces can hardly meet increasing quality requirements. Complex electronic programmers are indispensable to approximate present needs.
Therefore, in January 1989 our company started to develop a continuous steam treatment furnace: Our “Conti”
6 months went by until completion of the first prototype. At the same time, theoretical considerations proved to be unrealistic. Therefore, the furnace had to be modified several times.
These activities and studies finally led to a concept meeting the following demands: