Patent ID: 8232506

Claim:
A dental firing furnace in combination with a muffle which has received a ceramic blank, the furnace having a firing space ( 28 ), which can receive the muffle, a pressing device ( 32 ) for pressing a ceramic blank ( 36 ) inserted into the muffle ( 22 ) to form a dental restoration part when properly fired, sensor means for monitoring over time the temperature difference between the firing space ( 28 ) and the muffle ( 22 ), and a control device, which automatically controls a processing program of the dental firing furnace ( 10 ) as a function of the monitored temperature difference over time to cause the furnace to properly fire a dental restoration part formed from the ceramic blank, the rate of change of the firing space temperature in relation to said temperature difference serving as a physical variable for setting a processing program of the dental furnace and automatically influencing the same, wherein the detected temperature difference over time provides for an indirect detection of the size of the muffle ( 22 ).