Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Textile Drying
The manufacturer of extra-high durability clothing fabrics sought an efficient method to preheat cloth prior to its entering a hot air oven. A modular system composed of carbon mediumwave infrared lamps from Heraeus Noblelight provided fast heating, short response time and did so in a small space.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Metal Preheating Prior to Coating
An auto manufacturer had metal coating as part of its manufacturing process. Winter conditions caused the steel to be at a lower temperature, and coating quality suffered as a result. Heraeus Noblelight provided a carbon mediumwave infrared system for preheating; line speed is increased, and coating quality has improved greatly.
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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:
Mediumwave Small Area Heater
For applications requiring precision heating of a specific, small area, Heraeus Noblelight offers the Mediumwave small area heater. Approximate heated area of the example shown here is 2" x 2" and the power output is 400W.
A wide assortment of other special design heaters is available from Heraeus. Click HERE for details.
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Technical Learning: Advantages of IR Technology, Part 2
High Speed and High Efficiency
As a result of the greater heating rates and the high degree of control available with electric IR process heating, most products can be heated much more rapidly than in a convection oven. Thus, it is possible to decrease the product's residence time in the heating unit and increase the throughput of products. This enables manufacturers to make better use of their production facilities.
For example, an electric IR oven can provide a high heating rate to cure paints (including hard-to-cure, water-based paints) in a fraction of the time required in a convection oven. High heating rates are possible for curing paint in an IR oven because the short-wave IR radiation may be partially transmitted through certain coatings to heat the substrate.
The times to heat various materials in both An electric IR oven can heat many materials far more quickly than can a convection. For example, for steel and aluminum, the time to heat 0.05 inch thick panels to 300°F (149°C) is more than six times faster in the electric IR oven.
For plastic and wood, the time differences are even more dramatic. The higher heating rate supplied by an IR oven causes the surface temperature to rise to 300°F (149°C) without fully heating the interior of the material. In a convection oven, it takes much longer to reach 300°F (149°C) because of the lower heating rate and because the product is heated throughout.
For curing a coating on plastic or wood, an IR oven has an advantage in that the coating can be heated to the curing temperature without appreciably heating the material in depth. Thus, a coating could be cured without overheating and damaging the material. Furthermore, the cool-down time would be less because the material would not be heated in depth.
Electric IR heating is capable of delivering a higher percentage of the input energy to the product than convection oven heating. Due to the higher efficiencies of the IR system, the per-product processing cost can be comparable to -- or lower than -- gas convection. Furthermore, the long preproduction heat-up times required for convection ovens waste energy that would, in an IR system, be put into heating the product. Electric IR heating is efficient because more heat is delivered to the product, not lost to the surrounding air and not up a flue.
to be continued in the next issue...
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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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