Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Heating Clingfilm around a Stack of DVDs
A packager of DVDs mounted on spindles wished to replace their system for heating the shinkwrap used to package the discs. The previous method -- a hot air oven -- required ten seconds of heat application to shrink the film. A new system from Heraus Noblelight -- using single-tube carbon lamps with Heraeus' patented gold reflector -- cut the amount of time to only one second per cycle.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Drying of Water-based Coating on Plates of Stone or Concrete
A fabricator of architectural plates (made of stone, concrete and/or marble) used a hot air circulation oven to dry the water-based coating applied to the plates. They replaced this inefficient system with a modular system using fast mediumave IR technology fron Heraeus Noblelight. The new system reduced drying time, allowed doubling of the conveyor speed, and reduced power consumption. The direct thermal radiation of the heaters afforded intensive drying.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Shortwave Heaters
Fast and Intensive
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.
Performance advantages include high radiation density in the most compact space; near-instant heating-up and cooling down times; optimized reflection; much more.
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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: 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...
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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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