Southwick & Meister, Inc, Meriden, Ct, has added a third Lucifer GT box furnace to their production capabilities.  As a major manufacturer of premium-quality collets, bushings, cutting tools, and more, Southwick & Meister uses Lucifer’s furnaces to heat treat under nitrogen atmosphere.
Model 7GT-H18 is fabricated from 10 gauge sheet steel reinforced with structural steel members continuously welded to form a solid shell for operation with a positive flow of inert atmosphere.  The 9”H x 12”W x 18”L chamber is lined with 5” of a combination of  lightweight firebrick hotface backed with coldface mineral wool for energy efficient operation and low outside shell temperature.  Powered with 9.5 KW and heating to 2100°F, the furnace heats by heavy-gauge coiled wire elements supported in high temperature cast monolithic holders which are easily replaced. A 1” thick cast hearth plate protects floor brick and supports the work load.  Temperature is regulated with a Honeywell DC2500 digital controller.  Add on features include an Overtemperature Safety System for unattended operation and a 7-day timer.  A representative of Southwick & Meister says “it’s been a great relationship for many years”, referencing Lucifer’s well built products and strong customer support.  

This Dual chamber Red Devil furnace went to a customer in the Midwest. The Red Devil Series offers the  a cost effective means to heat treat small tool steel parts in-house in a timely manner. The Model RD8-KHE18 is a Space Saving dual chamber unit with working dimensions of 12”H x 14”W x 18”L in both upper and lower chambers. The upper hardening chamber is rated up to 2200°F while the lower convection oven tempers up to 1200°F.  This unit was customized with a programmable controller with an overtemp safety system for the upper chamber as well as a 7-day timer with alarm for audible event notification

Lucifer Furnaces supplies metal stamping manufacturer with furnace/oven combo

Lucifer Furnaces delivered a large dual chamber unit to a metal stamping manufacturer in the Midwest.  Model HL82-P24 is a hardening furnace over tempering oven, built as a space saving combination for multipurpose heat treating.  The upper hardening chamber heats to 2300°F with 6.5” multilayer insulation throughout the chamber.  Heat is supplied through heavy gauge, coil wound wire elements in easy-to-replace holders on sides, back and door of the furnace.  The vertical lift, hand-crank operated door provides for smooth operation with a tight seal.  A heavy duty ceramic hearth plate protects floor elements and insulation.  The lower chamber tempering oven heats to a uniform 1200°F with a rear mounted high cfm fan circulating air past the side mounted heating elements.  A 16 gauge stainless steel liner forms the work chamber.  Both chambers are controlled with digital time proportioning temperature controllers with timers and alarms.  Safety features on this unit include high limit controllers on each chamber which provide auto shut-down in the event of a high temp excursion.  Door switches are designed to shut off power and fan, protecting users from electric shock as well as heat hazards.   Both chambers are 18” high x 24” wide x 24” long.

Lucifer Furnaces builds Dual Chamber Furnace for Punch & Die Manufacturer

Lucifer Furnaces’ delivered a Dual Chamber fiber-lined furnace to a leading manufacturer of punches and dies in North America.  The upper chamber of this customized Model LI84-M24 heats to 2200°F and the lower draw chamber to 1600°F with 23 KW power. The upper chamber hotface consist of low-heat-storage ceramic fiberboard for fast heat-up & cool-down.  Heat radiates from coil-wound heating elements mounted on ceramic rods which are completely external of the insulation and can be easily accessed for individual replacement. The lower draw chamber is insulated with 2 ½” insulating firebrick.  Both chambers are further insulated with cold face backup insulation.  The LI-8000 series lower draw chamber is equipped with a fan assembly and stainless-steel liner for recirculation and uniform temperature. Each chamber measures 12”H x 18”W x 24”L; chambers are  individually operated with separate digital controls and thermocouples. Standard equipment includes pre-mounted horizontal swing doors with microswitch for safety.  The customer invested in this dual chamber furnace to replace an older unit and will be processing small parts in wire baskets as well as parts wrapped in foil during hardening

Lucifer Furnaces delivers custom Box Furnace for precision metal stamping operation

Lucifer Furnaces has delivered a general purpose box furnace to a manufacturer of precision metal stampings in the Midwest, USA.  Model HL7-M24 has chamber dimensions of 12”H x 18”W x 24”D and heats to 2300°F. Powered at 15 KW, heat is supplied through easy-to-replace coil wired heavy duty heating elements in V grooved radiant  panels on sides, back and door of the furnace. Insulation includes 5” of hot faced insulating firebrick with cold faced mineral wool block behind.  The roof is lined with ceramic fiberboard to eliminate cracking potential.  A 1” thick cast hearth plate protects floor insulation and provides a flat work surface.  This furnace was customized with an air operated vertical lift door activated via foot treadle enabling the door to raise to any height.  Safety features include a microswitch to auto-disengage power to heating elements when door is opened.  Temperature is controlled with a Honeywell digital time proportioning temperature controller supplemented with an overtemp controller to guard against high limit excursions.   Other special features include 3 timers -a Soak Timer for regular timing functions, an Input Timer for lower temp operation and a 7 Day Timer for auto furnace start up/shutdown.  The furnace will be used to heat treat D2 and A2 steel under air atmosphere. This furnace is part of Lucifer’s standard, general purpose, Series 7000 box furnace lines.

Lucifer Furnaces customizes box furnace for extra heavy loads for auto safety products manufacturer

Lucifer Furnaces, Warrington PA, has designed a furnace to meet the heavy loads of a supplier of automotive safety equipment. Model DL7-R24, a box furnace with a chamber size of 24”H x 24”W x 24”L was customized to support a 1000 lb. load of molds for heat treating at 750°F.  Starting with a reinforced angle iron steel frame with heavy gauge sheet steel facing welded to form a rigid unit, the furnace is lined with 6 ½” insulating firebrick and mineral wool block on side walls and below hearth.  Ceramic fiber pyroblock modules line the roof.  Coiled wire heating elements in easy-to-replace holders are located on both side walls as stacked arrays.  A special 1 ½” thick hearth plate was designed to sit atop heavy-duty piers to support the load, protect the floor insulation and provide a flat working surface. Safety features onboard include an auto-disengage feature to shut off power to heating elements when door is opened to eliminate electric shock hazard.  Controls include Honeywell DC2500 microprocessor based digital time-proportioning temperature controller programmed with a single setpoint heat ramp.  The furnace, part of Lucifer’s Series 7000 general purpose box furnaces, will be used for annealing steel and stress steel relief of die cast tool.      

Have you replaced your thermocouple lately?

Your furnace environment is wearing on your thermocouple, and a failed thermocouple can shut down production.  Don’t risk losing your product – and losing revenue.  Don’t put your production schedule on hold.  Replacing a thermocouple is easy and inexpensive.  Great idea to keep a spare in your shop!

Thermocouple failure happens – they get damaged, sheaths fail, they short out.  Contamination, corrosion, oxidation can all occur from normal heat treating.

Remember, your thermocouple tells your controller how much heat to supply to your product in the chamber.  Keep your product safe!  Keep your furnace from melting down!  Replace that old thermocouple today!