Heating Wood With IR
Manufacturing processes involving wood can benefit greatly from infrared technology. The efficient and heat-just-where-it's-needed qualities of infrared make it an excellent means of applying process heat to wood processes. For example:
- A manufacturer of wood panels required process heat for panel forming. Their previous method -- heat element cassettes --
featured live electrical filaments that were unreliable. When the elements failed, production down time resulted. A mediumwave
infrared oven from Heraeus Noblelight (featuring a control panel and optical pyrometers) improved the process. The new system resulted in consisting heating (a single heater meant the process had no "cold spots"), increased heater lifetime, and an
inherently safe process.
- A company that manufactures wood roofing panels sought a more efficient means to heat the panels prior to spraying them
with thermal insulation foam. Management already understood the benefits of infrared: their current system included a longwave
infrared heater. But when they replaced that heater with a modular system featuring NIR (near-infrared) lamps from Heraeus
Noblelight, they gained greater control, and safety problems were eliminated. What's more, the higher temperatures provided by
the new system enabled better adhesion of the insulating foam, and the smaller lamps meant that the heating process had a
smaller footprint in the production line.
- A manufacturer of MDF (medium-density fiberboard) sought a means to preheat powdercoating on the MDF panels prior to
curing. A module of mediumwave heaters from Heraeus Noblelight provided the answer. Infrared heat prevents delamination of the
product while preventing color contamination. And the precise heating properties of infrared heat result in a superior surface
finish.
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These examples are by no means a complete list. Infrared heat is an effective and efficient means of applying process heat in many other applications.
Explore this site for application
solutions employing infrared technology. Heraeus offers complete systems using infrared technology; we can design a system to meet your specific, unique and
demanding needs.
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