By controlling aging temperature and treatment time it is possible to manipulate metallurgical processes to improve material properties such as tensile strength, elongation and hardness.
This type of furnace needs to be fitted with an extremely precise temperature control system in order to achieve extremely tight temperature tolerances at relatively low aging temperatures.
Depending on the application, the furnace facility can be equipped with a system to cool the charge with air.
Batches of plates, stacks or single plates (aircraft wing components for example) are loaded into the furnace using automatic chargers.