Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Preheating Racing Auto Tires
Modern racing cars require every component of the vehicle to operate at optimal efficiency. Tires designed for the demands of racing operate at their best -- transmitting power to the track and providing frictional force to keep the car on that track -- when they reach an optimal temperature. The traditional method of preheating the tires is via "tire blankets", but that method suffers from long heat-up time and overall inefficiency. A preheating system using carbon infrared lamps from Heraeus Noblelight reduced heating time by more than 80%, providing deeper and more long-lasting heat in the process.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Drying Paint on Vehicle Bumpers
An auto manufacturer sought to increase the efficiency of its vehicle bumper painting process. The three-coat spray painting requires drying between coats, potentially causing a production bottleneck. The facility worked with the applications engineers at Heraeus Noblelight to develop a pre-drying solution. The new system uses fast response mediumwave lamps in a tunnel oven for high efficiency and reduced throughput time. Optical pyrometers offer maximum temperature control.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Short Wave NIR Heaters
Shortwave single tube NIR heaters from Heraeus are suited for situations requiring high temperatures in the shortest possible time. And because these Heraeus NIR lamps are manufactured in standard configuration designs, matching the right heater to your application is a snap. These heaters offer high radiation density in a small area; optimized reflection; practically no heating-up and cooling-down times; and a long list of other advantages.
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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: Introduction to IR Technology, Part 2
History of infrared process heating
Electric infrared process heating is not a new technique. It has been in use -- in one form or another -- for over half a century. But only in recent years have a wide choice of radiant heat sources - infrared heaters - become available.
The term infrared heating as applied to industrial heating processes originated in the late 1930s when experiments took place in the use of heat radiation produced by commercial lighting bulbs fitted with special external reflectors.
The technique was very successful for curing the new synthetic resin enamels on car bodies, so it was applied to production lines. Carbon-filament lamps were used at first, and later tungsten-filament lamps with internal reflectors. In each case the lamps were rated to operate at a reduced filament temperature. As the reduction in filament temperature had the effect of moving the peak wavelength of the emitted radiation further into the infrared portion of the spectrum, it was logical to differentiate between lamp bulbs used for lighting and those used for heating by calling the latter infrared lamps and the process in which they were used infrared heating. The early lamp systems were only capable of providing power intensities in the order of 5 kW/ m2; modern designs can provide up to 105 kW/ m2, and with improved directional properties. When other types of even more powerful radiant heat source were later developed (e.g. linear quartz lamps and metal sheathed elements), the term infrared heating was retained.
This undoubtedly had some commercial value in persuading industrialists to investigate this heating process in relation to their own problems. As a result, industry has enjoyed significant savings in time and money. The concept of the infrared oven became firmly established. Infrared heaters, reflective walls, roof and floor, together with entrapped warm air were combined to optimize the heating of a wide range of products, including three-dimensional shapes. Infrared heating has proved its worth over many years, having evolved into a sophisticated industrial tool to become an acknowledged and indispensable branch of engineering practice.
Coming in the next issue: Intro to IR Technology, Part 3.
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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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