Design and construction of custom industrial furnaces and heat treatment systems up to 1350 °C for forging and heat treatment shops.
Löcher Industrieofen- und Apparatebau GmbH
Hilchenbach (Headquarters / Plant) · Chemnitz (Plant)New on Amplifa
About Löcher Industrieofen- und Apparatebau GmbH
Löcher Industrieofen- und Apparatebau GmbH is a German industrial furnace manufacturer in operation since 1965, with sites in Hilchenbach and Chemnitz. The company develops, designs, manufactures and installs custom heat treatment systems for the metalworking industry, in particular for forging plants and various heat treatment processes. The product range includes bogie hearth furnaces up to 24 m in length, 7 m in width and charge weights up to 500 t at 1350 °C, chamber furnaces, bell furnaces and hybrid furnaces configurable for gas/electric operation. In addition, the company manufactures burner systems such as gas pulse and flat-flame burners, thermal post-combustion systems (TNV), heat exchangers for exhaust heat utilization as well as control cabinets. With the in-house developed control and visualization system FUTRACO, furnace systems are opened up for Industry 4.0. The temperature accuracy of the systems meets aerospace requirements in accordance with AMS 2750 E. The quality and temperature accuracy of the systems are also recognized by the aerospace industry.
- Site
- Hilchenbach
- Processes
- Bogie hearth furnaces (heat treatment), Chamber furnaces (heat treatment), Bell furnaces (heat treatment), Hybrid furnace (gas/electric), Pusher furnaces, Walking beam furnaces, Roller hearth furnaces, Rotary hearth furnaces
- Materials
- Bogie hearth furnaces, Chamber furnaces, Bell furnaces, Hybrid furnaces (Gas/Electric), Gas pulse burners (Löcher system), Flat-flame burners, Jacketed radiant heating tubes, Thermal post-combustion systems (TNV)
- Certificates
- AMS 2750 E (approval possible)
- Founded
- 1965
- Employees
- 51-200
- Industries
- Open-die and die forging, Foundries, Metal pressing plants, Metal heat treatment shops, Annealing and hardening shops, Rolling mill industry
- 01
Requirements gathering at the customer
- 02
Design and development
- 03
Manufacturing incl. control cabinet construction
- 04
Assembly
- 05
Commissioning
- 06
Maintenance and modernization/conversion
Processes and Burner Technology
Bogie hearth furnaces
Robust furnace design with low distortion, featuring efficient seals on the bogie and door, mainly used in forging plants.
Chamber furnaces
Chamber furnaces with a robust base plate for manipulator loading, optionally with a heat exchanger for exhaust heat utilization.
Bell furnaces
Custom bell furnaces, e.g. with two bases, with precise bell guidance and hydraulic lift-door pressing.
Hybrid furnaces (Gas/Electric)
Combined gas and electric heating with redundant operating mode (gas, electric or mixed operation) up to approx. 1100 °C.
Gas pulse burners (Löcher system)
Burner technology with and without individual recuperators for industrial furnace applications.
Flat-flame burners
Gas burners for industrial furnace applications.
Jacketed radiant heating tubes
Jacketed radiant heating for indirect heating of furnace systems.
Thermal post-combustion systems (TNV)
Pollutant reduction through thermal post-combustion, conversion into water and CO2, compliance with TA-Luft emission limits.
Heat exchangers
Use exhaust heat to preheat combustion air, thereby improving energy usage.
FUTRACO Smart Furnace
Modular control and visualization system for furnace systems incl. recipe management, production planning and process data analysis.
Control cabinet construction
In-house control cabinet construction for the custom measuring, control and regulation systems of the furnace systems.
Modernization / conversion
Modernization and conversion of existing furnace systems, including optimized insulation and exhaust heat utilization.
Locations
Hilchenbach
DEHeadquarters / Plant
- Part weight / size
- Up to 500 t charge weight (bogie hearth furnace)
- Lot size
- Custom systems (individual projects)
- Materials
- Gas-fired systems, hybrid furnaces
- Bogie hearth furnace construction up to 24 m length, 7 m width
- Chamber furnace construction
- Control cabinet construction
- Gas pulse burner System Löcher
Chemnitz
DEPlant
- Part weight / size
- Up to 500 t charge weight (bogie hearth furnace)
- Lot size
- Custom systems (individual projects)
- Materials
- Gas-fired systems, hybrid furnaces
- Furnace manufacturing (incl. rotary hearth, pusher and walking beam furnaces)
- Gas pulse burner System Löcher
- Flat-flame burners
- Jacketed radiant heating tubes
Furnace Systems and System Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogie hearth furnaces (heat treatment)Heat treatment | – | 24 m × 7 m | 500 t (charge weight/piece weight) | – | – |
| Chamber furnaces (heat treatment)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bell furnaces (heat treatment)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hybrid furnace (gas/electric)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pusher furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Walking beam furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Roller hearth furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rotary hearth furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lift hearth furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Protective gas furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Drying ovensHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Continuous pusher furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Multi-purpose chamber furnacesHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gas pulse burners (with and without individual recuperators)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Flat-flame burnersSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jacketed radiant heating tubes for indirect heatingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Thermal post-combustion systems (TNV)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Control cabinet constructionAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Process and plant visualizationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Modernization / conversion of furnacesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design and development of heat treatment systemsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
19 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogie hearth furnace | Löcher | – | up to 24 m length, 7 m width, charge weights up to 500 t at 1350 °C | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Chamber furnace | Löcher | – | Temperatures up to 1350 °C | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Bell furnace | Löcher | – | Operating temperatures up to 1200 °C | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Hybrid furnace (gas/electric) | Löcher | – | Maximum temperature approx. 1100 °C | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Rotary hearth furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Pusher furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Walking beam furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Roller hearth furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Lift hearth furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Protective gas furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Drying oven | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Continuous pusher furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Multi-purpose chamber furnace | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Gas pulse burner | Löcher System Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Flat-flame burner | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Jacketed radiant heating tube | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Thermal post-combustion system (TNV) | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Heat exchanger (exhaust heat utilization/combustion air preheating) | Löcher | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
| Control/visualization system FUTRACO Smart Furnace | Löcher FUTRACO | – | – | – | Hilchenbach / Chemnitz |
Additional services
Temperature Accuracy and Approvals
The temperature accuracy of the furnace systems meets the standards required by the aerospace industry and is verifiable in accordance with AMS 2750 E (TUS test to Class 1). All systems are equipped with custom measuring, control and regulation systems developed and manufactured in-house.
| Evidence | Hilchenbach | Chemnitz |
|---|---|---|
| AMS 2750 E (approval possible) |
History
- 1965
Foundation; design and construction of heat treatment systems ever since.
- 2024
Commissioning of a hybrid-fired bogie hearth furnace for a customer in Switzerland with acceptance according to AMS 2750 E.
- 2024
Participation in the International Metallurgy and Heat Treatment Trade Fair in Guangzhou, China.