Infrared Application of the Month #1:
Spot Paint Touchup on Auto Body
An automobile manufacturer required a hand-held dryer for paint touch-up on cars coming off the production line. The previous solution was a standard heat blower gun. The gun took a long time to dry the paint, and carried dust onto the surface. It also consumed a lot of power, covered a small area, and often dried the surface while leaving a wet paint layer below. A hand dryer using infrared technology from Heraeus Noblelight solved all of these problems, resulting in shorter dry time, greater coverage, cleaner process and deep heat penetration.
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Infrared Application of the Month #2:
Drying of Coatings on Metal Castings
A foundry producing sand-casted parts (engine blocks etc.) required a method for drying coating on the blocks. The previous method was an LPG burner, and it was plagued with safety issues and slow output. A new Short Wave Infrared system from Heraeus Noblelight saved the manufacturer time and money, and offered a safer solution.
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Tech Center Spotlight:
Mediumwave IR Heaters
Plastics, water and other solvents absorb medium wave radiation especially well. The use of medium wave infrared heaters helps in the effective drying of paints and lacquers and in the economical processing of plastic foils and sheet. Because of their long life, these heaters are best suited for continuous process. Surface films and very thin materials are heated up extremely efficiently.
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Special Designs:
Ring Heater
Designed for horizontal use, this shortwave ring heater, internally focused for intense rapid heat-up of rods, stakes etc. is made of quartz glass, has a diameter of 8 mm, a two-sided connection, and is available with or without the Heraeus gold reflector.
A wide assortment of ring heaters are in stock at Heraeus. Click HERE to for details.
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Technical Learning Q&A: A Comparison of Convection vs. Infrared
Part 1 of 2
Q: How does heat transfer differ between convection and IR?
A: Convection can only be controlled by air temperature and airspeed. With infrared emitters, a far greater flexibility in heat up rates and temperatures can be achieved using different energy densities and wavelengths.
Q: How do the technologies compare with regard to energy efficiency?
A: Convection can waste a lot of energy when switching from large to small components. Infrared emitters can target energy specifically to areas that require heating.
Q: How long are the reaction times of the heating systems?
A: With a convection oven, reaction time may take 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the oven, so an oven will be left running all-day even when there is no production. Infrared emitters can be switched on and off within seconds to suit production conditions.
Q: How does mass affect the heat-up rate?
A: In convection oven the heat up rates will be influenced by mass (number) of components. Infrared is an "energy source" and is not influenced by the number of components in the oven.
Q: How much space is required?
A: Convection takes up a large amount of floor space. Infrared is much more compact, typically 1/4 to 1/3 the space.
Q: What maintenance costs are associated with each technology?
A: Convection requires frequent maintenance (fans, filters, pipes, seals, burners) and full maintenance normally requires a complete strip down of the oven. Infrared systems typically require only minor maintenance (e.g. changing of emitters or filters).
Q: How is temperature controlled when parameters change?
A: For convection ovens it takes a long time to reduce or raise the air temperature to suit changing line conditions. IR emitters can be regulated instantly to changing conditions; a closed loop control via speed or temperature is possible.
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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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