by Thermcraft

Trans Temp – Transparent Furnaces

The Trans Temp gold transparent furnace was originally developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Unlike conventional furnaces, it is transparent, which makes it possible to see the object that is inside the furnace. Trans Temp transparent furnaces use a gold mirror for insulation. But transparency of the furnace is only part of the story. The use of only a gold mirror for insulation makes for very fast heat up and cool down times. And because of the uniformity of the mirror the temperature zone is uniform over most of the length of the furnace. Physical Description The main body of the transparent furnace consists of a glass tube with a gold film deposited on the inside surface. Inside of the gold coated tube is cemented, coaxially, a quartz tube. The purpose of the quartz is to keep the gold mirror clean. If the mirror is not clean then it will not reflect the radiation coming from the elements efficiently. The heating element is a coil-like structure that fits inside the mirror assembly. Finally, the working tube (muffle) slides inside the element. Each end is held in place by ceramic ends that are mounted on a base.