Sintering
Symmco has computer-controlled sintering furnaces with continuous belts up to 24" that are specifically designed for bronze, iron and stainless applications, with copper infiltration and sinter brazing also available, and the newest furnace adds sinter hardening.
8 sintering furnacesFurnace specifications
Symmco sinters on eight computer-controlled continuous belt furnaces, and belt widths vary from one furnace to the next, from 8 inches up to 24 inches. The furnaces reach 2250°F and run standard hydrogen and nitrogen atmospheres, which covers the bronze, iron and stainless applications the furnaces were built for, and Symmco also offers copper infiltration and sinter brazing when a part calls for them.
Symmco runs the majority of MPIF Standard 35 materials, and parts that need higher sintering temperatures than these furnaces run are identified at quoting, when alternatives are discussed with the customer. Material choices for a given part are covered on the Materials page.
| Specification | Symmco furnaces |
|---|---|
| Sintering furnaces | 8 |
| Furnace type | Computer-controlled continuous belt furnaces |
| Maximum operating temperature | Up to 2250°F |
| Furnace atmospheres | Hydrogen and nitrogen |
| Belt widths | 8 to 24 inches, varying furnace to furnace |
| Materials sintered | Bronze, iron and stainless |
| Furnace processes beyond sintering | Copper infiltration and sinter brazing |
| Sinter hardening | Hyper-cool water-mist system after the hot zone, on the newest furnace |
Sinter hardening in the furnace pass
Sinter hardening runs on Symmco's newest furnace, which carries a hyper-cool system: once the parts leave the hot zone they are misted by an internal water system, and that sudden drop in temperature shocks the material into hardening while it is still inside the furnace. The hardening step is therefore part of the sintering pass itself rather than a separate operation afterwards, which is what a buyer is asking for when a drawing calls out a sinter-hardened grade.
Where a part needs a conventional heat treatment or a steam treatment instead, Symmco manages that through outside partners and coordinates the work so the finished part still arrives from one supplier; the Outside Secondary page lists which operations those are.
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