Industrial Process Heating
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Louisiana-Pacific, Cured With Electric IR Download video clip Benefits to Louisiana-Pacific:
Advanced Energy’s dedicated industrial process specialists have a passion for research and discovery. Our team provides direct access to in-the-field insight and innovative answers that generate practical solutions with measurable results. We have solutions for improving quality and productivity, reducing operating costs, environmental compliance, increasing capacity, and extending equipment life. Background Louisiana-Pacific is a premier supplier of commodity and specialty building products, serving retail, wholesale, homebuilding and industrial markets throughout North Carolina and the United States. Problem Louisiana-Pacific wanted to double the output on one of their high profit margin products, while maintaining quality and decreasing the cost of production. The production process was bottlenecked at the curing stage. Louisiana-Pacific previously air cured a coating on the product. They changed the formula of the coating to allow for a quicker drying time; however, for the coating to completely cure, it still had to air dry for seven days. This problem resulted in a backlog that increased daily. After surveying the process, Duke Energy and Advanced Energy’s industrial process specialists provided recommendations based on specialized factors, including curing time and footprint. Assistance Duke Energy and Advanced Energy evaluated the existing gas curing ovens and identified electric IR as an acceptable solution. An
electric IR vendor was then brought
in to help design an electric IR oven
for curing the coating on the product.
The criteria that the vendor had to Solution Duke Energy and Advanced Energy’s industrial process specialists recommended the installation of electric IR. Numerous tests were performed to verify the curing requirements for the coating and for sizing of the oven. Testing also helped to prove throughout other departments within Louisiana-Pacific, that electric IR could cure coatings in a much shorter time frame. When the quotes were submitted, Louisiana-Pacific’s overall business improved, which reduced the priority
of the project. Also due to a lack of time for installing the new line by internal departments, Louisiana-Pacific agreed to a turnkey proposal with the IR Benefits The expected benefits of Duke Energy and Advanced Energy’s recommendations include production time being cut in half, higher profits being obtained due to meeting demand, product quality remaining the same, and a reduced cost to produce the product. For More Information Contact Mark Gentry at 336-679-4020 or mgentry@advancedenergy.org.
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