VFD
Vacuum Furnace Designer
Design the optimal furnace architecture based on customer specifications and requirements
See how it worksFor furnace manufacturers, heat treatment shops and plant engineers
The Future of Vacuum Furnace Design
Size the furnace, lay out the plant and plan the assembly on a 3D model. All in your browser.
New accounts are approved by our team, usually within 1 business day.
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From furnace design to plant and assembly
Three modules for one project: design the furnace, lay out the plant around it, then plan how it is assembled.
VHTPD
Vacuum Heat Treatment Plant Designer
Plan and design complete heat treatment facilities with optimized layouts and workflows
See how it worksVFA
Vacuum Furnace Assembler
3D model, BOM and step-by-step assembly instructions for vacuum furnaces
See how it worksParts supply: buyers and suppliers meet on the same furnace model
Each part of the 3D furnace model in VFA is matched with the products of the suppliers who offer it. Our team reviews every quote request; the offer comes straight from the supplier.
Looking for a part
- Open the furnace in 3D in VFA and find the part on the model or in the parts catalog.
- See the products of the suppliers who offer that part and ask for a quote for one part or several.
- Compare the offers for the same part side by side, with price and lead time, then accept or decline.
Quote request Reviewed by our team Offer
Supplying parts
- List your products in the Supplier Portal and match them with the parts of the furnace model.
- Customers see your product when they open that part in the 3D model or the catalog; our team reviews their request and passes it on to you.
- Answer the request with a price and a lead time; you can correct your offer until the customer decides.
Who it is for
The same furnace data, seen from three sides.
Heat treatment shops
You run vacuum furnaces every day and have to plan capacity and keep the furnaces available.
- Check which furnace size fits a new load and process, and the daily capacity it gives.
- Size the transformer, the cooling units and the nitrogen buffer tank for the whole furnace fleet.
- Log incidents and keep the maintenance calendar up to date.
Modules: VFD · VHTPD · Memory Book
Furnace buyers and plant engineers
You are specifying a new furnace or a new line and have to justify the choice.
- Get a recommended furnace model from your load, process, alloy and temperature, with the reason it was chosen and a PDF report.
- Place furnaces and auxiliary equipment in a 3D hall, check service clearances, door access and escape distance, and export the layout as DXF.
- Follow the order from design to testing and give your FAT/SAT approvals online.
Modules: VFD · VHTPD · Project Planning
Furnace manufacturers and suppliers
You build furnaces or supply their parts and have to answer enquiries with numbers.
- Pre-size a furnace in VFD for an enquiry and compare the neighbouring sizes.
- Open the furnace assembly in 3D, with exploded view, section and measurements, and export the parts list.
- As a supplier, list your products, receive part quote requests and answer with a price and a delivery time.
Modules: VFD · VFA · Supplier Portal
Vacuo: ask in your own words, the engines do the calculation
The engineering assistant on every page of the platform answers about vacuum furnaces, heat treatment and your own records, in four languages. It never makes up figures: sizing comes from the VFD and VHTPD engines.
Describe a furnace or a plant: Vacuo asks for what is missing, runs the engine and fills in the VFD or VHTPD form in one click.
Ask about a part: Vacuo shows it on the 3D model, tells you who stocks it, and opens the quote window or adds it to the cart.
Ask about your work: quote requests and orders, the best offer for a part, overdue maintenance, faults and the plant layout.
It saves and sends nothing on its own: every answer ends in a button you press.
Compared with spreadsheets and e-mail
The same tasks, done by hand and done in SmartFurnace.
| Task | With spreadsheets and e-mail | In SmartFurnace |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace sizing | Look up the load, alloy and temperature in catalog tables and work out the size and power in a spreadsheet. | Enter the process, alloy, temperature, load weight and quench pressure; VFD recommends a catalog model and shows why it was chosen. |
| Plant utilities sizing | Add up power, cooling water and gas demand furnace by furnace, and redo the sheet when the fleet changes. | VHTPD calculates the transformer, the cooling units and the nitrogen buffer tank for the fleet you enter and lists its warnings. |
| Layout drawing | Draw the hall and the equipment in CAD and check the clearances by eye. | Place furnaces and auxiliary equipment in a 3D hall; overlaps, service clearances, door access and escape distance are flagged, and the layout exports as DXF. |
| Assembly documentation | Keep a paper manual, 2D drawings and a separate parts list consistent with each other. | VFA shows the furnace on a 3D model with exploded and section views, part details and a PDF report. |
| Quote and status follow-up | Ask each supplier by e-mail or phone and track the answers and the order status in a spreadsheet. | Send quote requests from one cart and follow each request and each project step by its status, with notifications. |
Who builds it and where it runs
Who builds it
SmartFurnace is developed by AVF (20 Rue du Professeur Benoit Lauras, 42000 Saint-Étienne).
About AVFWhere it runs
The application and your data run on servers in Germany (European Union) that we manage ourselves.
Who sees what
Each company sees only its own projects. Team members have roles, and the Viewer role is read-only. New sign-ups are approved by our team before the first sign-in; colleagues join a company by invitation.
How we process personal data: GDPR Notice and the Privacy Policy page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between VFD, VHTPD, and VFA?
VFD (Vacuum Furnace Designer) lets you design the furnace itself. VHTPD (Vacuum Heat Treatment Plant Designer) lays out the full plant around it — piping, cooling towers, auxiliary equipment. VFA (Vacuum Furnace Assembler) plans the 3D assembly and installation sequence. All three share one unified engineering platform.
Do I need to install anything?
No. SmartFurnace runs entirely in your browser — no downloads, no local installation, no specialized hardware. Create an account; once our team has approved it (usually within 1 business day), sign in and start designing.
What membership plans are available?
Plans and usage scope are arranged with our team — contact us.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Your data is stored encrypted and handled in line with Turkish data protection law (Law No. 6698) and the GDPR. Each account only has access to its own projects and data.
How long does account approval take?
Our team reviews each new sign-up, usually within 1 business day. You can sign in once it is approved. Colleagues you invite to your company join without this step.
What can I export?
VFD: a PDF report and the thermal recipe as CSV. VHTPD: a PDF report, the layout as DXF and the bill of materials as CSV. VFA: a PDF report and the parts list as an Excel file. A project plan exports as PDF.
Which units and languages are supported?
Units are metric only: °C, kg, bar, mm and m. The interface is available in English, Turkish, French and Spanish, and you can switch language at any time.
Can suppliers use SmartFurnace?
Yes. A member can apply to become a supplier in Settings. After approval, the Supplier Portal lets them list products, receive part quote requests and answer with a price and a delivery time.
Ready to try it on your own project?
Create a free account to use the furnace designer, or take the product tour first.
New accounts are approved by our team, usually within 1 business day.