How Casting Furnaces are Used
In metalworking, casting furnaces produce large metal materials for various industries including automobile, farming, and architecture. These furnaces also make consumer products, too, such as tools and jewelry.
Types of Casting Furnaces
A casting furnace melts metals in the initial stages of the metallurgical process. The casting process uses different types of metal melting furnaces depending on the product or application. Each type of metal melting features different technology to produce the best result. Industrial or laboratory casting furnaces use design, technology and construction to consume enough heat and fuel to melt the metal.
Cupola Furnace
Cupola furnaces, a long, chimney-like furnace, get filled with coal-coke and additives and lit. Metal is then added directly to the furnace. Some applications still use cupola furnaces. This type of heat treatment furnace is less commonly used as today’s casting furnaces offer improved efficiency.
Induction Furnace
Induction furnaces offer high-quality and easy-to-use metal melting oven for casting. The average induction furnace produces 65 tons of steel at each charge. In steel melting induction furnaces, the steel changes into a crucible and an electromagnet made of coiled copper surrounds it. The coil creates a reversing magnetic field and causes eddies in the melting metal. Eddies then self-stir the steel. Excited molecules in the metal makes the induction furnace’s heat, which means there’s no addition of oxygen or other gasses into the furnace.
Open Hearth Furnace
A hearth furnace melts nonferrous metals in smaller quantities. This type of casting furnace uses atomized heavy oil or natural gas to create metal-melting. The open hearth process raises the heat inside a metallurgical furnace and makes use of the waste or unused heat forced out of the furnace. The waste heat then redirects furnace fumes through brickwork and forms a checker. Industrial applications commonly use the hearth furnace as an oxygen-based furnace or an electric arc furnace.
Industries and Applications That Use Casting Furnaces
Both large scale production and small-batch applications use casting furnaces to make metal parts. Industry-leading manufacturers commonly use industrial and laboratory casting furnaces for:
- Metal melting
- Forge
- Aluminum
- Electrical
- Ferrous casting
- Stress relief
- Heat treatment
- Tempering
Sentro Tech Casting Ovens
Sentro Tech is a leading manufacturer of standard and custom metal melting and heat treatment furnaces. These furnaces let you melt metal materials into a liquid substance and pour into a casting model. Reduce costs for laboratory and small-scale production environments by customizing any model to meet your exact specifications. Any standard Sentro Tech casting furnace can be customized to meet your application or production needs.
Learn more about the Sentro Tech STV-1600°C Vacuum Casting Furnace