Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Drying Print on Wallpaper
A manufacturer of high quality wallpaper sought an improved method for drying of water-based print on the paper. The previous method made use of a hot air module with an air temperature of 80°C. The Heraeus solution employed a carbon infrared system that provided higher power densities, increased flexibility in terms of paper types, increased line speed and enough energy for both drying and print curing.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Heating Wood Roofing Panels
A maker of prefabricated wooden roof covering panels replaced their inefficient longwave infrared modular process heating system with a modular system from Heraeus. The new system uses NIR technology and provides greater safety, quick on/off cycles, flexible power control and a host of other benefits including better adhesion of insulating foam and longer heat conservation in the wood.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Shortwave Twintube Heaters
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. Among their advantages are high radiation density in the most compact space, and low space requirements.
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Special Designs:
Slot Heater
Infrared heater with a slot in one of the tubes, working like a drying channel for fibers or ropes. Twin tube made of quartz glass, gold coating around the whole heater. Fast response medium wave heater. The special slot design makes drying very intensive and efficient.
A wide assortment of special design heaters are available from Heraeus. Click HERE to for details.
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Technical Learning: Is IR Right for My Application?
Electric IR is a special kind of heat source, in that it is a relatively high-temperature source that can be turned on and off almost instantaneously.
Wherever a heat source is needed, electric IR can probably be used. Within each of the categories previously
discussed, major categories are literally hundreds of specific applications. In fact, the number of specific applications is growing as more uses are found for this special heat source. In addition to more traditional uses for electric IR, such as automobile body finishing, relatively new uses, such as drying silk-screened inks on clothing continue to be developed.
Assessment of Your Application
When choosing an electric IR system for your application, you should evaluate both the technical and the economic feasibility.
Technical Aspects
To determine the technical feasibility, gather certain information about your product and your process. This information will help you determine the size (length and height) of the oven, the power density required, and other aspects needed to specify the correct oven.
Economic Considerations
To evaluate the economic feasibility of electric IR, a number of issues need to be considered. The following issues must be addressed to determine the cost of doing business with and without electric IR:
- Remaining life of the current heating equipment
- Current heating capacity
- Energy source for the current heating method
- Annual energy costs of the current heating method
- Current energy charge
- Percentage of material wasted by the current heating method
- Scrap value of the material
- Embedded cost in the scrapped part; material
- Annual labor costs associated with the heating operation
- Annual production throughput
- Space requirements for the current heating equipment
- Annual cost of floor space
- Installed replacement cost for the current heating process
- Payback period required to justify the installation of a new electric IR system
- Expected capacity of the plant in five years
These economic issues can be condensed into five basic costs associated with electric IR heating:
- Equipment
- Labor
- Energy
- Scrap
- Floor space
Coming in the next issue: Intro to IR Technology, a four-part series.
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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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