Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Drying of Latex Carpet Backing
A textile/carpet manufacturer uses fast mediumwave IR technology to dry the latex backing of carpets. The manufacturer's previous method for drying employed longwave emitters without power control. The new system provides automatic power control, affords lower power consumption and provides faster reaction time for faster, smoother production.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Heating Laminate for Safety Glass
A manufacturer of safety glass for automotive and other applications required a means for heating glass laminate during application. Their original method -- longwave IR emitters -- was relatively inefficient; they had a short lifetime and wavelengths were mismatched. The new system offers a series of mediumwave twintube heaters that provide high quality, increased efficiency and longer life.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Shortwave Heaters
Fast and Intensive
Shortwave IR heaters from Heraeus are suitable for all applications in which the attainment of high temperatures in the shortest possible time is what counts. Their emission maximum is between 0.9 and 1.6 micron.
Performance advantages include high radiation density in the most compact space; near-instant heating-up and cooling down times; optimized reflection; much more.
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Special Designs:
Spiral Heaters
With heaters in spiral form discs, tubes or rods made of plastics, metal or glass can be heated homogeneously. Compared with conventional heating methods, spiral heaters can provide savings in energy, time and costs. Heraeus offers a wide range of heaters for special applications.
A wide assortment of special design heaters are available from Heraeus. Click HERE to for details. Click HERE to download a brochure on Heraeus spiral heaters.
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Technical Learning Q&A: A Comparison of Convection vs. Infrared
Part 2 of 3
Technical Learning Q&A: A Comparison of Convection vs. Infrared, Part 2 of 3
continued from last month's issue...
Q: Is it possible to cure/dry large conductive components like engine blocks?
A: A slow rate of heat transfer from air allows heat to conduct into components leading to long heat up times. Using infrared emitters with a high transfer of energy enables surfaces to be heated more rapidly overcoming conduction losses.
Q: What about the noise?
A: Large convection ovens generate a lot of noise from fans and air movement or turbulence. This causes health and safety implications. Infrared ovens with low air movement cause less noise.
Q: Can you heat in vacuum?
A: With convection it is not possible. Infrared emitters can be used to heat components in a vacuum chamber.
Q: What happens in a "dirty" environment?
A: Combustion products, recirculation of dust etc. make convection unsuitable for "clean" applications. Infrared heat is clean, no combustion products and no need to recirculate air.
Q: What can you say about adjustable control?
A: Difficult and expensive with convection (more air nozzles) at different air temperature and air speed. It is easy to achieve infinitely adjustable control with infrared emitters by selection of energy densities, wavelengths, and variable power levels.
Q: How well does it heat three-dimensional shapes?
A: Convection has an edge with even heating especially with radical 3 dimensional geometry. Circulated hot air will cause all surfaces reach the same temperature. Infrared has advantage on 2 dimensional parts and heats by line-of-sight. "Hidden areas" will be heated only by conduction through the material. It should be noted that metallic parts conduct heat very rapidly to hidden areas, and a properly designed IR oven uses a “booster” section up front and gives the part soak time to conduct through the part. Even so, process times can be considerably faster with a booster and soak section than with convection alone. Many manufactures now combine both technologies – booster and convection – to get the best of both technologies.
Q: How about holding part temperature?
A: Convection oven at 200 degrees C air temperature will hold part at temperature without this temperature being exceeded, but limited in maximum air temperature only. Holding with infrared employs electrical controls to prevent temperature increasing or decreasing, generally from a closed loop automatic system.
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That's it for this month's issue of Application Notes for IR Heating. Feel free to encourage your colleagues to subscribe. Just click HERE to send them an invitation to subscribe. It's quick, easy, FREE, and no-obligation.
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