Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Drying Non-slip Coating on Disposable Tray Mats
A manufacturer of disposable tray mats for use on commercial airlies employed carbon IR technology from Heraeus Noblelight to dry the mats' non-stick coating. With a process line speed of 80-90m per minute and rapid on/off switching to prevent damage to the product, a high quality finish is the result.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Heating ABS for Bathtub Thermoforming
Production of ABS and PMMA bath tubs and shower bases required process heat prior to thermoforming. The manufacurer initially used plug-in mediumwave heaters from another manufacturer, but switched to fast-response mediumwave heat from Heraus Noblelight. The change resulted in lower power consumption and more exacting system control.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Mediumwave IR Heaters
Plastics, water and other solvents absorb medium wave radiation especially well. The use of medium wave infrared heaters helps in the effective drying of paints and lacquers and in the economical processing of plastic foils and sheet. Because of their long life, these heaters are best suited for continuous process. Surface films and very thin materials are heated up extremely efficiently.
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Special Designs:
Hybrid Carbon/Shortwave Heaters
Heraeus Noblelight's hybrid Carbon/Shortwave heater offers all of the benefits of Carbon and Shortwave heaters using Heraeus' proven twin-tube design. This infrared heater combines a carbon heater and a short wave infrared heater in the proven quartz glass twin tube.
For more on Hybrid Heaters, click HERE.
A wide assortment of other special design heaters is available from Heraeus. Click HERE for details.
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Technical Learning: Introduction to IR Technology, Part 3
Infrared heating in everyday life
There is a popular misconception that infrared radiation is something new and mysterious. The emotive word radiation is usually associated with nuclear physics, medical X-ray, and ultra-violet tanning lamp equipment, so it is hardly surprising that infrared radiation is treated with some suspicion by the general public. Some typical examples of how and where IR is encountered in everyday life should help dispel these myths.
Infrared radiation exists around us at all times: in fact any body having a temperature above the absolute zero (- 273°C) emits infrared radiation in an elaborate exchange with its surroundings.
In addition to being below the level of appreciation by the senses, these low levels of radiation are of limited practical application. However, even the human body emits infrared radiation, as does a candle, hot fluids and foods, a flame, a light bulb, and of course the sun.
With electric infrared sources, heat is normally produced by passing a current through a coiled resistive element. To be applicable to domestic and industrial processes, source temperatures in the range of 500°C to 2200°C are normally required. The domestic quartz tube radiant heater, popular for bathroom heating, falls within this range. It operates with an element temperature of around 950°C and produces a bright orange glow from the element spiral.
Similarly, the tubular metal sheathed element rings and grill elements on electric cookers emit a substantial amount of infrared radiation, operating with a cherry red glow at around 700°C The latest quartz halogen infrared heaters used for cooking operate at a maximum temperature of 2200°C resulting in luminous emission. In the medical field, infrared radiant heat lamps are used in osteopathy for the treatment of muscle and limb disorders.
Infrared thermography for diagnostic purposes is now commonplace. In medical diagnosis the technique provides a multicolored contour plot of the heat radiation patterns from the human body from which medical specialists can locate areas of abnormality. A similar technique is used for the detection of heat losses from the external surfaces of buildings thus indicating where additional insulation could be used to conserve heat and thereby reduce space heating costs.
Special video cameras sensitive to the IR heat emitted by a scene can be used to good effect in darkness to produce remarkably clear pictures. These have applications in the military, security, and entertainment fields. Domestic television remote control units make use of infrared signals for program selection etc. while certain types of burglar alarms detect the presence of intruders by responding to the infrared content of body heat. In a more specialized application, heat seeking missiles home in on the infrared emission from the hot exhaust gases of enemy devices.
A wide range of appliances and devices rely on infrared radiation for their operation; we use these in ever-increasing numbers with complete confidence.
Coming in the next issue: Intro to IR Technology, Part 4 (conclusion).
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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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