Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Melting Thermoplastic Bonding Powder
A manufacturer of adhesive powder for a wide variety of substrates sought an effective means of melting the powder. They chose a twin tube carbon heating system from Heraeus Noblelight. As installed in this application, the system includes a control cabinet with a closed-loop (pyrometer) power control and lamp selector switches. Line speed was increased more than 28%.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Preheating of Window Blind Fabric
A manufacturer of window blinds faced a production bottleneck, due primarily to the limitations of a stentor (an industry-standard drying and curing oven). By switching to a mediumwave infrared system from Heraeus, line speeds were increased from 12m/minute to 18m/min, an increase of 50%. The system has been such a success, a second sytem has been installed in anticipation of increased demand.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Fast Response Mediumwave 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.
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Special Designs:
Short Wave Plug-in Heater
Heraeus offers the short wave infrared heater with a plug in connection. This design makes initial assembling as well as maintenance during production very simple. The plug in heater type helps to reduce maintenance costs.
Technical Data
- Short Wave
- Twin tube, 23 x 22 mm
- Gold reflector
- Single end connection
- Up to 10 Amp current
- 55-480 Volts possible
Advantages
- Simple installation
- Quick disconnect
- Fast replacement
- Tool-free replacement
- Reduce downtime
Click HERE to download a brochure on this product.
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Technical Learning Q&A: A Comparison of Convection vs. Infrared
Part 3 of 3
continued from last month's issue...
Q: How flexible are the technologies in working with mixed batches?
A: Although components heat up at different rates, they never exceed temperature of convection oven. Infrared heats up components at different rates and will reach different temperatures depending on mass. Care should be taken to “group” like parts size and mass.
Q: What about the design of the ovens?
A: For convection ovens, product testing generally is not necessary. Although simple, it results in larger sizes and longer oven times. Infrared ovens normally require advanced product tests to determine oven design (power, wavelength, density, length, zoning, etc).
Q: What can be used for "Class 1 Applications (high solvent)?”
A: Convection ovens are more easily designed for use in Class 1 areas. Again the trade off is simplicity vs. size and efficiency. Infrared systems are more complex to use in Class 1 areas, and like convection will require large amounts of air flow to remove solvents, and interlinks between IR source and conveyor to shut down the system in case of line stoppage. The advantage of IR here is size (reduced footprint) and throughput. A combination of IR and convection may be the best solution.
Q: Which oven type is more common?
A: Convection is widely known and easily accepted. It is easy to use and requires little training. Infrared is a more complex system that offers many more advantages: smaller footprint, less power consumption, zoned heating, closed loop control, quick start up and shut down. Although not as widely used as convection, infrared systems are quickly gaining acceptance as a highly effective alternative to the standard convection technology.
Q: How is power calculated?
A: For convection a simple mass x specific heat x temperature rise calculation provides information for oven design. For IR, tests are often required to determine design.
A: In a 200°C convection oven, the complete component will eventually achieve 200°C. Infrared ovens require more planning than convection for 3 dimensional objects. Because conduction cannot be relied upon to heat hidden areas, care is taken to design oven to equally heat all surfaces. Design and control are key to a good job.
Q: How does color-reflectivity-transmission of material influence oven design?
A: A convection oven will have always the same design and characteristics. Infrared systems are custom designed to suit the substrate being processed.
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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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