What is the difference between tube sintering furnace and crucible furnace?

There are significant differences between tube sintering furnaces and crucible furnaces in multiple aspects. The following is a detailed analysis of the differences between the two:
1. Purpose and Function
Tube sintering furnace:
Mainly used for small-scale experimental sintering and sintering and extraction of small amounts of materials.
Widely used in ceramics, metallurgy, electronics, glass, chemical industry, machinery, refractory materials, new material development, special materials, building materials, universities, research institutes, industrial and mining enterprises and other fields, for powder roasting, ceramic sintering, high temperature experiments, material processing, quality inspection and other work.
It has high-temperature sintering capability, with a maximum temperature of 1800 ℃, and is equipped with a precise temperature control system.
Crucible furnace:
It is the simplest melting equipment mainly used for melting non-ferrous metals with low melting points, such as copper, aluminum and their alloys.
The alloy melts in the crucible, and the heat is transferred to the furnace charge through the crucible. The furnace charge and combustion products do not directly contact each other, so the chemical composition of the alloy is almost unaffected by the furnace gas, and the temperature of the alloy liquid is also relatively uniform.
Widely used in casting workshops of small and medium-sized non-ferrous alloy processing plants and machine manufacturing plants, but with low thermal efficiency, high fuel consumption, small crucible capacity, and poor working conditions.
2. Structure and Characteristics
Tube sintering furnace:
The furnace tube is the core component, with various materials such as 310S stainless steel tube, quartz tube, corundum tube, etc.
The length of the heating zone and the size of the furnace tube can be customized according to requirements. The heating zone adopts PID automatic control to ensure the accuracy and stability of temperature control.
Ceramic fibers are commonly used as insulation materials for furnace tubes, which have good insulation effects.
The furnace structure is compact, easy to operate and maintain.
Crucible furnace:
Mainly composed of a crucible and a furnace body, the crucible is used to hold the metal or alloy to be melted.
There are various types of furnace bodies, including pit type, fixed type, and rotary type, which can be selected according to needs.
There are various heating methods, including diesel, heavy oil, coal gas, or coke as fuel for heating, as well as resistance crucible furnaces used in laboratories and other occasions.
3. Working principle
Tube sintering furnace:
By burning fuel in the combustion chamber to produce high-temperature gas, the high-temperature gas is transmitted through pipelines to the furnace tube, heating and sintering the materials placed inside the furnace tube.
The heating process is uniform and controllable, suitable for high-temperature and high-precision sintering experiments.
Crucible furnace:
By heating the crucible, the metal or alloy inside the crucible is melted.
During the melting process, heat is transferred to the furnace charge through the crucible, and the furnace charge does not directly contact the combustion products, thereby maintaining the stability of the alloy’s chemical composition.
4. Summary
There are significant differences between tube sintering furnaces and crucible furnaces in terms of usage, function, structure and characteristics, as well as working principles. Tube type sintering furnace is more suitable for high-temperature, high-precision sintering experiments and processing of small amounts of materials; The crucible furnace is mainly used for melting non-ferrous metals and their alloys with relatively low melting points. Although it has the advantages of easy operation and low investment, its thermal efficiency is low and the working conditions are poor. When choosing which equipment to use, it is necessary to consider the specific experimental requirements and production conditions comprehensively.