AR-15 Rifle Parts to be Heat Treated

A natural gas fired four zone solution treatment furnace was shipped to a manufacturer of aluminum components. The solution treatment furnace will be used to heat forged aluminum parts for AR15 rifles prior to quenching in water and was manufactured by Wisconsin Oven Corporation.

The maximum operating temperature is 1,100°F and the work chamber dimensions are 4’2” W x 60’0” L X 1’0” H. Each of the four (4) work zones will have dimensions of 4’2” W X 15’0” L X 1’0” H. The design capacity of the furnace is 1,500 pounds per hour of aluminum. The equipment achieved temperature uniformity of +/-10°F at 750° F and 1,100° F.

The conveyor furnace shell features “CAN” type, double-wall construction and includes 2” of 14# density high temperature industrial mineral wool insulation, backed with 6” of 6# density, industrial board type insulation, for a total of 8”. The shell, including the roof, consists of Wisconsin Oven’s patented high efficiency Expandable Surface Design®. The solution treatment furnace utilized a flat wire belt to transfer parts through the work zones.

“Temperature control and uniformity was a critical feature in the design of this system. The equipment achieves the tightest temperature tolerances available in the industry for a furnace of its type.”– Mike Grande, Sales Manager

Unique features of this industrial furnace include:

  • Temperature uniformity of ±10°F from the set point at 750°F and 1,100°F
  • Guaranteed soak of +/-10° F for 20 minutes
  • Heavy duty flat wire belt system to transfer parts into the quench tank
  • One (1) 6,750 CFM exhaust blower V-belt driven by a 5 HP motor
  • Four (4) 56,000 CFM recirculating blowers, each with 50 HP TEFCBB motor
  • Each zone is equipped with burners rated at 3.0 MMBTUH, for a total of 12.0 MMBTUH
AR-15
AR-15 (photo: The Washington Post)