Application Of Vacuum Heat Treatment To Tool And Die Materials

The vacuum furnace application to tool and die materials has expanded rapidly in recent years. This has been due mainly to three factors. The first is the environmental pressure on salt bath and atmosphere type furnaces; second, on the improvements made in vacuum furnace cooling systems that allow the treatment of a wider range of materials and larger section sizes; finally, productivity and flexibility have been improved through more effective heating systems and process controls. Examples of specific tooling will be used to illustrate why vacuum processing continues to grow in the tool and die field.