What Is Differences Industrial Oven And Industrial Furnace?

There is often some confusion between industrial ovens and industrial furnaces, and the terminology can often be used interchangeably. Essentially, both industrial ovens and industrial furnaces are fireproof boxes that perform heat treatment processes. This blog post will outline the key differences between an industrial oven and industrial furnace, and hopefully, eliminate some of the confusion surrounding them.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature range is the main difference between an industrial oven and industrial furnace, and this difference in temperature is often the cause of the other major differences.

As a standard rule, ovens operate in temperatures from 250oF – 900oF, while furnaces operate in temperatures of up to 2000oF or higher.

HEAT DISTRIBUTION
In an industrial oven, the air is released into a separate heating chamber to the sample, which contains the recirculation fan and the heat source. In ovens, the amount of recirculated air required is high, in order to successfully transfer the heat from the source to the sample under heat treatment.

In comparison, the heat is introduced directly to the sample under heat treatment in an industrial furnace. Depending on the heat source of a furnace, the heat source can be placed in various configurations in order to provide the most uniform heating.

ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere of an industrial oven and industrial furnace is quite similar, with both able to operate in an air atmosphere, or an inert-gas atmosphere. Furnaces are also able to operate in a combustible atmosphere, of hydrogen, exothermic or endothermic gas, for example.

APPLICATIONS
Both industrial ovens and industrial furnaces have their benefits. Industrial ovens perform better at lower temperatures, due to the greater amount of air being circulated. Drying and cooking are common applications of industrial ovens, due to the lower temperatures required to achieve the desired result.

Curing, which is the process of hardening a polymer material, is another popular oven application. Many different materials can be cured in an industrial oven, including powder, paint, and composites.

Industrial furnaces are often associated with the heat treatment of more robust materials, including metals. A wide range of heat treatment processes can be effectively performed in a furnace, including annealing, tempering, and carburizing.