Automotive Infrared Cure Oven
Infrared Heating Technologies recently designed, manufactured, tested, shipped, and installed, an electric infrared and convection combination industrial conveyor oven and cooler, with controls systems for de-bubbling, drying, curing, and cooling a screen printed fluoroelastomer coating on a stamped stainless steel automotive head gasket layer for a major automobile parts supplier. The process includes de-bubbling the screen-printed coating with a high intensity short-wave electric infrared section, leveling the coating, drying the coating with a combination of medium wave electric infrared and convection, curing the coating with medium wave electric infrared, and cooling the coating with a heat-exchanged forced-air cooler.
The industrial conveyor oven, cooler, and controls system includes a high temperature rated Teflon coated fiberglass belt conveyance system with an automated pneumatic tracking system and a pneumatic belt tensioning system. An integrated exhaust plenum located below the belt exhausts the heavier than air volatiles (EB Acetate) released from the coating during the drying and curing stages. This exhaust plenum also serves as the slider support system for the conveyor belt. The conveyor oven includes all provisions per NFPA 86 class A oven standard for processing solvents including but not limited to rated exhaust blower, differential pressure switches on all blowers, fixed purge safety circuit, explosion relief hinged doors, E-Stop safety relay, and dual-channel monitoring, and photo-eye sensors at both the load and unload positions to ensure proper conveyor belt position. A full risk assessment was completed by IHT and issued to the customer prior to the design of the class A oven for processing the solvent-based coating.
The system includes five heat control zones and an air-conditioned forced-air cool zone. The system is turn-key and includes all SCR, temperature, factory mutual approved over temperature, blower motor, and conveyor motor speed controls. A PLC with touch screen HMI is included for integrating the controls into a simple part recipe format. All heater elements are accessible and easily changed from the outside of the oven. A variety of PLC options are available for this system including Allen Bradley, Automation Direct Koyo, Siemens, and others.
Infrared Heating Technologies manufactures a wide variety of custom heater, industrial conveyor oven, and furnace systems for specific processes. Heating technologies include short wave electric infrared, mediumwave electric infrared, long-wave infrared, electric convection, gas-fired convection, Silicon Carbide, Rod Over-Bend (ROB), and others. Infrared Heating Technologies manufacturing facility is located at 2010 HWY 58, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, and all custom heater, oven, and control systems are manufactured in the USA. Call (865) 535-0050 to speak with an applications engineer or email info@infraredheating.com with your specific machine and process requirements.
