How to Choose Heat Treatment Trays? Select According to Working Conditions to Avoid Mistakes

Still troubled by tray deformation, cracking, short service life and poor compatibility? The core of choosing the right heat treatment tray is never "the more expensive the better" but "matching the working conditions is the key"! Accurate selection based on temperature, process and equipment type can reduce replacement costs and improve heat treatment efficiency.

1. Consider Temperature: Select the Right Material for High Temperature Resistance

• Medium and low temperature working conditions (≤600℃) (e.g., low-temperature tempering, aging treatment): Ordinary heat-resistant steel (such as 40CrNiMo) is sufficient, offering high cost-effectiveness to meet basic load-bearing requirements.
• Medium and high temperature working conditions (600℃–1000℃) (e.g., quenching, normalizing, carburizing): Prioritize high-chromium heat-resistant steel (such as 310S, 2520) for its excellent oxidation and creep resistance, preventing deformation under high temperatures.
• Ultra-high temperature working conditions (≥1000℃) (e.g., vacuum solution treatment, high-temperature sintering): Must choose chromium-nickel alloy/high-temperature alloy to withstand extreme high-temperature shocks, adapt to oxygen-free environments, and eliminate oxidation failure.

2. Consider Process: Match the Process to Avoid "Incompatibility"

• Quenching/salt bath quenching: Characterized by large temperature differences and highly corrosive media → Choose impact-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials with nitrided surfaces to prevent salt bath erosion and cracking.
• Vacuum heat treatment: Characterized by oxygen-free environments and high precision requirements → Select one-piece cast trays without welding defects made of nickel-rich materials to prevent high-temperature volatilization from contaminating workpieces, with scratch-resistant structures to protect precision components.
• Continuous furnace assembly line operations: Characterized by high-frequency turnover and heavy load-bearing → Choose high-strength and wear-resistant trays with reinforced key parts to improve fatigue resistance and reduce downtime caused by frequent replacements.

3. Consider Equipment: Adapt to Furnace Type for Precision and Efficiency

• Box-type furnace: Limited space with batch workpiece processing → Choose standard-size trays, preferably with handle designs for easy manual handling, while controlling weight to reduce operational intensity.
• Continuous furnace: Assembly line operations with automated conveying → Select custom-size trays matching the furnace conveyor width, with anti-slip slots to prevent workpiece displacement during conveying.
• Pit-type furnace: Vertical suspension heating → Choose trays with hooks/lifting rings featuring a compact structure to ensure uniform heating of workpieces in the furnace and avoid stacking occlusion.

Pro Tips for Avoiding Selection Pitfalls

1. Reject "one-size-fits-all" solutions: Do not blindly purchase universal trays—customize for non-standard working conditions (e.g., scratch-resistant smooth-surface trays for precision component heat treatment).
2. Verify quality assurance and testing: High-quality trays come with high-temperature load test reports and warranty commitments to avoid "three-no products" (no brand, no certification, no warranty).
3. Calculate total cost of ownership: Do not focus solely on purchase price—trays with long service life and low maintenance needs reduce long-term replacement costs.