What is the difference between a vacuum atmosphere tube furnace and a tube furnace?

There are significant differences between vacuum atmosphere tube furnace and tube furnace in multiple aspects. The following is a detailed explanation of the differences between the two:
1. Functions and Applications
Vacuum atmosphere tube furnace:
Functional features: The vacuum atmosphere tube furnace not only has the basic heating function of a tube furnace, but also can remove gas from the furnace through a vacuum pump, achieving material processing under high vacuum, medium vacuum, or specific atmospheres (such as hydrogen, argon, nitrogen, etc.). It is suitable for chemical analysis, physical determination, material research and small batch production that require specific atmospheres, and is widely used in fields such as powder metallurgy, ceramic metallization, fluorescent powder, battery materials, electronic ceramics, chemical raw materials, nanomaterials, etc.
Application advantages: It can provide various atmosphere environments, meet the special requirements of material processing, and improve the purity and performance of materials.
Tube furnace:
Functional features: The tube furnace mainly heats the material to be treated to the desired temperature through a heater. Some tube furnaces can only evacuate without passing the atmosphere, while others can both evacuate and pass the atmosphere. It is widely used in metallurgy, glass, heat treatment, lithium positive and negative electrode materials, new energy, LED luminescent materials and other fields to determine the performance of materials under certain atmospheric conditions.
Application advantages: Simple structure, easy operation, suitable for large-scale low to medium temperature heat treatment.
2. Structure and Design
Vacuum atmosphere tube furnace:
It usually includes heating chamber, vacuum pump system, atmosphere control system and other parts, with a relatively complex structure. Furnace materials are often made of high-quality polycrystalline molybdenum fiber vacuum adsorption, which has the characteristics of light weight, fast heating speed, energy saving, time-saving, heat shock resistance, high temperature resistance, and good insulation.
Compact design, lightweight structure, beautiful appearance, adopting an integrated furnace body design, easy to use. The double-layer furnace shell structure and advanced air insulation technology can effectively reduce the surface temperature of the furnace body and ensure operational safety.
Tube furnace:
The structure is relatively simple, usually consisting only of a heater, insulation material, and control system. The furnace is often made of excellent high aluminum tubes or stainless steel materials, and the heating elements are arranged around the furnace tube.
The insulation material for tube furnaces is often made of excellent aluminum silicate refractory fiber cotton, which has good insulation performance. At the same time, the tube furnace also has the advantages of fast heating speed, uniform furnace temperature, and high temperature control accuracy.
3. Performance parameters
Vacuum atmosphere tube furnace:
The maximum temperature can reach a higher value (specific values vary depending on the model), which can meet the needs of high-temperature heat treatment. At the same time, its vacuum degree and atmosphere control accuracy are also high, which can meet the special requirements of material processing.
Equipped with complete gas path devices and reliable sealing technology, ensuring the stability and purity of the atmosphere inside the furnace.
Tube furnace:
The maximum temperature is generally lower than that of a vacuum atmosphere tube furnace, suitable for low to medium temperature heat treatment. Some tube furnaces also have the functions of vacuuming and atmospheric circulation, but their performance may be slightly inferior to that of vacuum atmosphere tube furnaces.
The temperature control accuracy and insulation performance of the tube furnace are also good, which can meet the needs of general material processing.
In summary, there are significant differences between vacuum atmosphere tube furnaces and tube furnaces in terms of functionality, structure, and performance parameters. When choosing, comprehensive consideration should be given to specific application requirements and material properties.