Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Powder Coating on Compressors
A manufacturer of compressors installed an infrared booster system featuring fast mediumwave infrared heaters from Heraeus Noblelight. The heaters allow fast on/off switching, allowing them to be put into use only when needed. Coating line speed was nearly doubled, and a wide variety of compressors can now be coated in a single process.
Click for more IR applications... [ Back to Top ]
Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Heating Fabric Roof on Convertible Automobiles
A high-end automobile manufacturer cures the fabric roof material on its convertible cars using fast mediumwave infrared heaters from Heraeus Noblelight. The system is controlled via a straighforward control panel with optical pyrometer. The system offers fine-tuned control of individual zones, applying specific amounts of heat exactly where needed.
Click for more IR applications... [ Back to Top ]
Tech Center Spotlight: Fast Mediumwave IR Heaters
Stable and efficient, fast response medium wave heaters can transfer high power over long lengths. The high absorption by surface layers and films makes them particularly applicable to thin materials, while the fact that they also have a penetrative effect fits them for use in plastics processing. The heaters can be switched on and off in seconds and are consequently best suited for processes with short cycle times.
Because infrared heaters can be individually matched to a particular application, heating and drying processes can be seamlessly integrated within finishing operations – and with minimum disruption to existing manufacturing lines.
Read more about Fast Mediumwave IR Heaters... [ Back to Top ]
Special Designs:
Watercooled Heater
Heraeus designed a special twin tube lamp heater with one water cooled channel. This heater type transfers a large amount of energy (more than a million watts per square meter) in a very short time. Temperatures of more than 1000°C on the surface of the product can be achieved within seconds. Popular applications include coil coating, edge coating on wood, and surface sealing.
A wide assortment of other special design heaters is available from Heraeus. Click HERE for details.
[ Back to Top ]
Technical Learning: Advantages of IR Technology, Part 3
Compact Footprint and Relatively Low Weight
Electric IR ovens can deliver heat more rapidly to a product than convection ovens can. This means that IR ovens are generally much smaller than convection ovens. Manufacturers can make more productive use of their floor space. Because heat delivered by electric IR heaters is not dependent on convection, IR ovens usually require less insulation and fewer bulky construction materials. In fact, some manufacturers suspend IR ovens from the ceiling to save floor space.
IR radiation can also be precisely aimed or directed to heat only selected parts of an assembly without overheating other parts that may be temperature-sensitive. Electric IR ovens tend to be reliable, with no moving parts or motors, and they are usually modular, making it possible to expand an existing oven or to add IR modules to an existing convection oven. Depending on the application, portable IR units can also be used for localized heating.
If the product finishing line has a convection oven in good working order, its capacity can be increased by adding an electric IR preheat section. For example, by adding an IR preheat oven, a manufacturer can double the product speed versus a convection oven alone. The added capacity of an IR preheat section can enable water-based paints to be cured in a convection oven designed for solvent-based paints. In other applications, an IR preheat oven can gel powder coatings before they enter a convection oven. The moving air and dust in a convection oven might disturb such coatings before they gel.
Consistent Product Quality
Electric IR heating units can be controlled, directed, and instrumented for more precise temperature control than is possible in convection ovens, which are prone to temperature stratification (especially when heating large objects or surfaces). Because IR heats materials selectively, water-based coatings can be dried more efficiently. Especially with short-wavelength IR heaters, the energy can penetrate coatings to heat the underlying surface itself. Thus the coatings are evaporated more readily, preventing blisters that might occur with convection heating.
For paint curing, the quality of the finish may be improved because of the reduced air turbulence and generally cleaner conditions in an IR oven. For example, the high airflow rates characteristic of a convection oven sometimes displace powder coatings and can introduce unwanted airborne particles before the coatings cure. An electric IR unit does not require convection currents to heat the object; thus, a higher quality, more predictable product finish is possible.
to be concluded in the next issue...
View a variety of technical bulletins... [ Back to Top ]
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.
|
