IR Heating Facilitates Coating Application Processes

July 19, 2000

Heating with infrared technology offers significant advantages to industries applying coatings to products, in terms of general system speed-ups or changes from solvent based coatings to water or powder based. Plus, IR systems can be added on to existing production lines without increasing the existing space. Advanced Energy can help put this technology to work for you.

IR heating systems are ideal for use as dry-off ovens after liquid pre-treatment prior to the coating application process. They can also be used as pre-heaters, or boost heaters, that facilitate the coating curing process by rapidly elevating product surface temperature before it enters the main curing oven.

IR heats up and cools down quickly, delivering heating energy directly to the product rather than the surrounding air. Faster, more efficient heating means faster curing and faster production. Also, superior coating finishes are possible due to eliminated or drastically reduced airflow needs.

Other advantages of IR technology include increased energy efficiency, reduced labor costs relative to higher production rates, small equipment footprints, and greater flexibility, in terms of the modular, add-on design of units and the possibility of adjusting wavelengths and intensities to optimize processing conditions for various products.

Advanced Energy has built full-sized, fully functioning boost heater system prototypes in its Industrial Energy Lab specially designed to facilitate onsite demonstrations of IR capabilities and applications at a wide range of customer facilities. With features highly adaptable to varying situations, these systems enable our team to take the technology to the source and show customers firsthand what IR can do for their operation.

Pictured above, the most recently built system offers the following features and advantages:

• Four caster-mounted modules, paired as main and auxiliary left and right units
• Three independently variable heating zones for each pair of units
• Controls on each module that offer the ability to switch individual emitters between full and half power
• Infinitely adjustable IR energy level, up to a system maximum of 197 kW at 480 volts
• Heating capability equivalent to a 40-foot long gas oven produced by a system less than five feet in length
• Adjustable frameworks for each module that allow emitters to be positioned either horizontally or vertically in an almost infinite variety of configurations
• Cantilevered arm that allows emitters to be moved independently and positioned for maximum heating effectiveness for any given part configuration
• "Wrists" to which emitters are connected that allow nearly 180 degrees of rotation from the horizontal centerline, allowing IR energy to be directed more accurately

To find out more about how Advanced Energy can assist with decisions regarding the use of IR technology in coatings applications, please contact Dan Welch at dwelch@advancedenergy.org or Ewan Pritchard at epritchard@advancedenergy.org . You can also call (919) 857-9000.

Click here for a listing of other process technologies Advanced Energy has expertise in.