Pit furnaces stand vertically with the opening at or just above floor level, and are made for work from very small to very large. They are available with or without a retort, in custom dimensions, electric or gas-fired.
They are widely used for gas carburizing and nitriding of items such as wind-power gears and railway bearings. See the high-temperature and low-temperature pit pages for the two main types.
Specifications
| Temperature range | 600 to 1200 °C |
|---|---|
| Retort material | AISI 304, 310, 316, 330 or Inconel 600 |
| Insulation | Vacuum-formed ceramic fibre modules, blanket and module, or refractory brick |
| Heating | Electric or gas-fired |
| Furnace class | Class 2 or Class 3 |
| Controls | Process automation equipment, thyristor, programmable controller, recorder, PLC, SCADA, HMI |
Applications
- Stress relieving and tempering
- Annealing, decarb annealing, normalizing
- Carburizing, gas nitriding, case hardening
- Hardening
- Wire annealing
Advantages
- Suits long, tall and heavy parts
- Optional sealed retort for controlled atmospheres
- Saves floor space when set in a pit