Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently added a very unique piece of equipment to its fleet of furnaces - a brand new, state of the art all molybdenum hot zoned vacuum furnace. The all stainless steel chamber with a 24-inch wide x 24-inch high x 36-inch deep hot zone rated at 2500 degrees Fahrenheit is equipped with an oversized pumping system. Unlike other vacuum furnaces, this pumping system has a series of isolation valves which concentrates the critical vacuum levels within the location that matters most - the vacuum chamber. Hence, this furnace was built exclusively for the critical materials often encountered in the aerospace, medical, and semiconductor arenas that are sensitive to vacuum levels and the potential contact of carbon particles. To enhance the unshielded processing of critical parts at vacuum levels lower than 5X10-6 Torr without any contamination, Solar Atmospheres will construct an environmentally controlled room surrounding this furnace. The room will be temperature, humidity and positive pressure controlled which will aid in eliminating water vapor, dust and debris (FOD) concerns. New and clean dedicated fixturing will be used exclusively for this furnace, never leaving the premises.

Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, states: "This brand new furnace and environs will enable us to guarantee bright clean work while eliminating the safety hazard of handling razor sharp stainless steel foils. Now that this furnace is fully operational, in 2017 we look forward to adding the MedAccred medical accreditation to our ever expanding list of approvals. I would like to thank our sister company Solar Manufacturing for designing and constructing this outstanding, pristine furnace that will enable us to produce parts that will significantly add even more value to our customer's operations."