A. D. Kominek, Surface Combustion, Inc., Maumee, OH

Summary: This presentation will examine the benefits of strategic part loading in high convection-based furnaces for processing aluminum components. A furnace’s gross load hearth rating may not be fully utilized when optimizing part positioning within the effective workload zone for maximizing the furnace heating rate. However, the time saved in the heating portion of the overall thermal cycle will allow for an increase in production capacity. The presentation will focus on wind flow patterns of different types of furnaces, examples of part loading to maximize convection heating, and a discussion on how these topics tie into heat treatment specifications such as MIL-H-6088, the Military Specification for Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys.