What Is the Difference Between Box Furnace Hot Forming and Roller Furnace Hot Forming

Box furnace hot forming and roller furnace hot forming are two common types of hot forming stamping production lines. Although they are of the same type, their different structures lead to different applications. This article will explore their structural differences and how these differences affect the processing results.

Heating Form

Box furnace heating is completed statically within a uniformly sized enclosed space. Each time material is removed, the temperature of a box furnace drops and needs to be reheated. Roller furnace heating is completed dynamically within a long conveying chamber. With roller conveying, the material temperature gradually increases. In a roller furnace, heating is continuous to maintain the temperature.

Production Speed

During each heating cycle of a box furnace, the manipulator must place the material inside and remove it afterward. In addition, the number of heating stations in a box furnace is limited, so heating is carried out in batches. Because it requires multiple heating steps and has limited heating positions, its production speed is relatively average. The roller furnace performs continuous heating through roller conveying. Compared with the box furnace, it has fewer steps and fewer limitations on heating positions, resulting in a much faster production speed.

Heating Effect

Due to the static heating characteristics of the box furnace, it can heat materials more uniformly, which is very suitable for large sheets. In contrast, the roller furnace may provide less uniform heating in some cases, but is sufficient for small- to medium-sized processing.

Application Scenarios

Hot forming is typically applied to high-strength sheets, which are in high demand in the automotive and aerospace industries. Box furnaces are used for small- to medium-batch processing, mainly for automotive A/B pillar reinforcements, roof panel skeletons, and outer casings of new energy battery packs, among others. Roller furnaces are used for large-batch processing, mainly for automotive inner door panel frames, chassis beams, roof frames, and similar components.