Patent ID: 7645136

Claim:
A continuous heat treatment furnace, the furnace comprising: at least one drying and binder-removal area and one firing area in succession from an inlet side of the furnace toward an outlet side of the furnace; and at least a first transporting mechanism and a second transporting mechanism that are disposed along a direction from the inlet side of the furnace to the outlet side of the furnace; wherein the objects to be thermally treated are transported by the first transporting mechanism through the drying and binder-removal area and are transported by the second transporting mechanism through the firing area; wherein the transporting speeds of the first transporting mechanism through the drying and binder-removal area and the second transporting mechanism through the firing area are different; and wherein the first transporting mechanism is selected from the group consisting of beams, wire materials and chains, which periodically repeat the actions of ascending, advancing, descending and backing at a constant stroke, and the second transporting mechanism is selected from the group consisting of beams, wire materials and chains, which periodically repeat the actions of advancing and backing at a constant stroke; said furnace further comprising a third transporting mechanism positioned in the vicinity of the outlet side of the furnace, wherein the third transporting mechanism is selected from the group consisting of beams, wire materials and chains, which periodically repeat the actions of ascending, advancing, descending and returning to an initial position at a constant stroke, said first transporting mechanism further comprises T-shaped supporters and holding members fitted to at least said T-shaped supporters to hold the objects to be thermally treated, and wherein a plurality of holding members are fitted at intervals to the first transporting mechanism on both the left and right sides of a centerline of a transporting path, and the holding members comprise inclining portions declining toward the side of the centerline of the transporting path, wherein the holding members support the objects to be thermally treated by contacting only the edge portion of the objects to be thermally treated with the inclining portions of the holding members.