Sintering Furnace Problems & Life Expectancy

Sintering Furnace Problems & Life Expectancy

It’s difficult to say how long a sintering furnace should last, or even how long it should run before needing repairs. There are things you can do to extend longevity of both the furnace and the components, such as heating elements and thermocoupler.
First, we all thought it was great when water-based coloring liquids were introduced to replace the former popular acid based products. The opportunity to get the acid out of the lab and furnace had obvious benefits. What most do not know, water based liquids still have acid in them. There are a few ways to dry or get the acid out of restorations before sintering.
Post-coloring, you can wait a while and start your sintering cycle. This leads to most of the acid evaporating into your furnace heating chamber. Not good for obvious reasons.
Proper drying prior to sintering can be done with a hot plate or heat lamp. For best and complete drying, use 100℃ or 210℉ for 30 minutes, then sinter. This dramatically reduces the amount of acid vapor in your sintering furnace.
If using colorants, sinter the restorations in a covered tray. Having the units in a closed crucible will reduce the acid omission into the sintering chamber.
Keeping the acids out of your vacuum furnace will increase the life of the furnace, heating elements, and thermocouple.
Edited by simuwu

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