INFRARED CASE STUDIES

Hereaus infrared heater technology has seen successful application in a wide variety of applications. Below are detaield case studies outlining ways in which Heraeus IR heaters have met challenges in these varied applications. Check back regularly to read new case studies.

Body Moulding Oven The Heraeus Body Moulding Oven is a bespoke system for pre-heating rubber mouldings prior to their being fixed to the vehicle. Mouldings are stored 'cold' in racks by the side of the oven and can be heated individually or in sets to 35- 45°C in just 6 to 8 seconds. Designed to meet specific customer needs, they have already been successfully installed in many leading vehicle manufacturing plants throughout the world.

Drying of Water-based Coatings New research on the application of IR dryers to water-based varnishes indicates high energy cost savings. With correct selection of the radiation source the infrared energy requirement for the drying process can be reduced by up to 50%.

Plastic Heat Staking and Welding For plastic parts, Infrared Welding can be a beneficial replacement for certain traditional hot-plate and vibration welding applications. The use of a controlled IR light source (heater) with accurately regulated time and temperature in a precise location allows more accurate process control on plastic assemblies.

Medium and Shortwave IR Curing of Metals The president of a major US-based lighting standards manufacturer knew that "the market for finished steel light standards is extremely competitive. To increase our market share we had to offer a higher-quality product. We also knew that our customers would not accept a price increase, so our only option was to increase productivity."

IR Processing of Metal Coatings Consumers of coated metal, wood, paper, glass, plastic and textile products are demanding attractive, long-lasting, wear-resistant surfaces. At the same time, stricter safety and environmental standards are forcing manufacturers to look at new types of finishes, e.g., water- based and powder coatings, and at different technologies to process them. Among the technologies well suited to both drying and curing the newer finishes is electric infrared (IR) process heating.

Powder Curing When a gas-fired curing oven for powder-coated castings couldn't keep pace with production, Whitehead Die Casting turned to Heraeus Noblelight for a more efficient solution using electric infrared instead of gas.

Semiconductors Infrared radiation is a reliable heat source for many industrial heating processes including semiconductors (PDF file).