1700°C Hotspot Laboratory Furnaces from Zircar Zirconia

We always wanted to buy one of these, but nobody made them. Now for the first time, a 1700°C Lab Furnace that can simply be plugged into a standard 110 Volt, 20 Amp outlet without the need for either a 220 V supply or an electrician is available from Zircar Zirconia. This breakthrough frontloading box furnace is made possible by a unique combination of zirconia and alumina insulation, which exploits the hot strength of alumina and low thermal conductivity of zirconia. The zirconia insulation incorporated in the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace has the lowest thermal conductivity of any commercially available high temperature insulation. The alumina insulation is a newly developed, state of the art, material with exceptional hot strength. The furnace insulation package is a four layer, graded design that ensures the proper heat flow through each layer for maximum life.

Figure 1. The Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 100 Laboratory furnace.

Features of the Zircar 1700°C Hotspot Furnaces

• Two models: 110 Volts or 220 Volts
• In- stock standard item
• Programmable temperature controller holds 2 programs of up to 8 steps each
• Space saving compact design
• Separate overtemperature protection
• Low energy consumption
• Kanthal 1800 grade heating elements
• Pre-fired and pre-programmed
• Optional datalogger offered
• Unique combination of Zircar insulations
• Fan cooled shell & door safety interlock

The furnace has a one year warranty for all components except the heating elements.

Versatility of Design

This compact unit easily fits just about anywhere in the laboratory and does not require any special setting surface. The standard cooling fan feature keeps the furnace shell cool enough to protect the user from any potential burn, even at 1700°C.

The 220 Volt Zircar Zirconia Hotspot Laboratory furnace model is supplied with a power supply cord suitable for local configurations.

Furnace Datalogging

The Zircar Zirconia Hotspot Laboratory furnace is available with an optional optional datalogger to link the furnace to your computer and record the temperature history in real time and later save the firing curve as an Excel file.

Design Features

Construction

The outer shell of the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 furnace is powder coated heavy gauge steel while the inner shell and face plate are stainless steel.

Figure 2. Construction of The Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace.

Heating Elements

The Zircar Zirconia Hotspot Laboratory furnace is heated by four Kanthal brand 1800 Celsius grade molybdenum disilicide heating elements, which are connected to the power supply by oversized aluminum braids to assure reliable service. The furnace comes standard with a dual element type B thermocouple. One thermocouple is connected to the programmable temperature controller, while the other goes to the overtemperature controller. The Zircar Zirconia Hotspot Laboratory furnace is available with an optional extra thermocouple for direct connection to a remote chart recorder.

Figure 3. Kanthal heating elements in the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace.

Kiln Furniture

A shelf system which can double the firing capacity for small parts is available and shown below left. An optional sintering tray is also offered, shown below right with its lid.

Figure 4. Example kiln furniture configuration in the hearth of the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace.

Door Construction and Design

The door of the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot Laboratory furnace hinges upward on an articulating mechanism that assures correct door seal alignment minimizing heat loss around the door seal and saving table space. An automatic latch holds the door open while loading and unloading. A door safety switch disengages power to the elements when the door is open to prevent accidental contact with live elements. The door remains cool because it is constructed without dense ceramic reinforcements, which would draw heat from the hot face out to the shell. Our door insulation design isolates the hot face insulation from the cold face insulation.

Figure 5. Door configuration andconstruction in the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace.

Specifications

Specifications of the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace are summarized in the following table.

Performance – Heat up Rates

Example heat up rates for the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace

Figure 6. Heat up rates for the Zircar Zirconia Hotspot 110 Laboratory furnace.

Source: Zircar Zirconia.

For more information on this source please visit Zircar Zirconia.