Applications and Differences Between Mesh Belt Furnaces and Trolley Furnaces

In the field of heat treatment, mesh belt furnaces and trolley furnaces are two widely used industrial heating equipment, each with unique structural characteristics and application scenarios. They play an indispensable role in improving material performance, ensuring product quality, and adapting to different production needs. This article will elaborate on their respective uses and systematically compare the key differences between them.

1. Applications of Mesh Belt Furnaces

Mesh belt furnaces are continuous heat treatment equipment characterized by a circulating mesh belt that conveys workpieces through different heating, heat preservation, and cooling zones. Their core advantage lies in realizing automated continuous production, which is suitable for mass processing of small to medium-sized workpieces with regular shapes.

In the automotive industry, mesh belt furnaces are widely used for heat treatment of auto parts such as gears, bearings, bolts, and springs. For example, they can complete processes like carburizing, quenching, and tempering of small gears to enhance their hardness and wear resistance, ensuring the reliability of automotive transmission systems. In the hardware and fastener industry, they are used for annealing, normalizing, and surface hardening of standard parts, improving production efficiency while ensuring consistent product performance.

Additionally, mesh belt furnaces are applicable to the heat treatment of electronic components, hardware tools, and precision parts. Due to their continuous operation mode, they can effectively reduce manual intervention, minimize workpiece pollution, and meet the high-precision requirements of modern manufacturing for heat treatment processes.

2. Applications of Trolley Furnaces

Trolley furnaces are batch-type heat treatment equipment composed of a furnace body and a movable trolley. Workpieces are placed on the trolley, which is then pushed into the furnace for sealed heating, and pulled out after the heat treatment process is completed. They are mainly designed for large, heavy, or irregularly shaped workpieces that are difficult to convey continuously.

In the heavy machinery and equipment industry, trolley furnaces are used for heat treatment of large castings, forgings, and mechanical parts, such as machine tool beds, crankshafts, and large gears. These workpieces have large volumes and weights, and batch processing in trolley furnaces can ensure uniform heating and stable performance. In the steel and metallurgical industry, they are applied to annealing and normalizing of large steel plates, sections, and pipes to eliminate internal stress and improve material toughness.

Trolley furnaces are also widely used in the aerospace and shipbuilding industries for heat treatment of large structural parts. Their adjustable furnace cavity size and flexible heating process make them suitable for customized production of small-batch, high-demand heavy workpieces.

3. Key Differences Between Mesh Belt Furnaces and Trolley Furnaces

3.1 Structural and Operational Differences

The most obvious difference lies in their structural design and operation modes. Mesh belt furnaces adopt a continuous conveying structure, with workpieces moving through the furnace cavity at a constant speed via the mesh belt, enabling uninterrupted production. The furnace cavity is usually long and narrow, divided into multiple functional zones to complete different heat treatment stages in one pass.

In contrast, trolley furnaces are of batch-type structure, with the trolley serving as both the workpiece carrier and the furnace door. The furnace cavity is relatively large and closed, and workpieces are processed in batches—after one batch is completed, the trolley is pulled out to unload and load, then pushed back into the furnace for the next cycle. This mode is more flexible but has intermittent production characteristics.

3.2 Differences in Applicable Workpieces

Due to their structural limitations, the two types of furnaces are suitable for different workpieces. Mesh belt furnaces are ideal for small to medium-sized workpieces with regular shapes (such as bolts, gears, and small shafts) that can be stably placed on the mesh belt. They are not suitable for heavy workpieces, as excessive weight may damage the mesh belt or affect conveying stability.

Trolley furnaces, on the other hand, are designed for large, heavy, or irregularly shaped workpieces. The trolley can bear heavy loads (usually tens to hundreds of tons), and the large furnace cavity can accommodate workpieces of various sizes and shapes. This makes them irreplaceable in the heat treatment of heavy machinery parts.

3.3 Production Efficiency and Cost Differences

In terms of production efficiency, mesh belt furnaces have obvious advantages in mass production. Their continuous operation mode avoids the downtime caused by loading and unloading in batch processing, greatly improving production throughput and reducing unit production costs. They are suitable for large-scale, standardized production lines.

Trolley furnaces have lower production efficiency due to their batch-type operation, as each production cycle includes loading, heating, heat preservation, cooling, and unloading. However, their equipment investment and maintenance costs are relatively lower, and they have strong adaptability to small-batch, multi-variety production. For enterprises with unstable production demand or customized production needs, trolley furnaces are more cost-effective.

3.4 Differences in Heat Treatment Uniformity

Mesh belt furnaces have excellent heat treatment uniformity for small workpieces. The continuous conveying ensures that each workpiece stays in each functional zone for the same time, and the uniform air circulation in the furnace cavity makes the temperature distribution more consistent. This ensures that the performance of batch workpieces is highly consistent.

For trolley furnaces, the heat treatment uniformity is affected by the size and placement of workpieces. Large workpieces may have temperature differences between the surface and the interior during heating, and uneven placement may lead to inconsistent heating of workpieces in the same batch. However, with the improvement of furnace structure and temperature control technology, the uniformity of trolley furnaces has been significantly improved, which can meet the basic requirements of most heavy workpiece heat treatments.

4. Conclusion

Mesh belt furnaces and trolley furnaces are important equipment in industrial heat treatment, with distinct application scenarios and advantages. Mesh belt furnaces are suitable for continuous mass production of small to medium-sized regular workpieces, featuring high efficiency and good uniformity; trolley furnaces are suitable for batch processing of large, heavy, or irregular workpieces, with strong flexibility and low investment costs. Enterprises should select the appropriate heat treatment equipment according to their production scale, workpiece characteristics, and quality requirements to achieve optimal production efficiency and economic benefits.