A vacuum furnace is a furnace that heats materials to very high temperatures and performs processes such as sintering and heat treatment with high consistency and low contamination.

Hot pressing is a process in which pressing and sintering take place simultaneously. In addition to the commonly used resistance and induction heating techniques, there are new processes and equipment such as vacuum hot pressing and vibratory hot pressing.

Manufacturing companies use a variety of techniques to modify and improve the properties of raw materials. Some of these techniques are basic and involve only exposure to high temperatures, while others are more complex. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) falls into this latter category of treatment processes.

The term "muffle furnace" is still used today; this is not the case at the beginning of the 20th century. During that time, coal and wood were mainly used to heat furnaces. Over time, its meaning and significance has changed, and today it has a unique heating chamber and combustion.

Hot press furnaces apply both heat and pressure to a sample to densify, sinter or change the structure of the material. Hot press furnaces are used in powder metallurgy and ceramics for bonding powders or preformed compounds.