INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL INFRARED SYSTEMS DESIGNED FOR YOUR APPLICATION
Infrared heat shrink tubing ovens allow the tube and cable manufacturers and assembly houses to heat shrink tubes radially by exposing them to infrared heat.
Produced by EUROLINIA heat shrink tubing ovens are designed for automated high-precision surface heating of polymer heat-shrinkable tubes.
Ovens use directional focused infrared heat to heat shrink 540-900 mm long tubes with wall thickness at 2.2-18.2 mm, the outer diameter of 90-1200 mm.
EUROLINIA CH2-101 and CH2-102 heat shrink ovens consist of 2 autonomously working heating chambers (simultaneous heating of two products), controlled from one shared control panel.
EUROLINIA CH1-103 and CH1-104 ovens feature one heating chamber, but they provide simultaneous two-sided (inside and outside the tube) customizable infrared heating of rotating tubes.
Each heating chamber of the shrink oven delivers heating with several horizontal infrared heating panels consisting of EUROLINIA ICH-100 infrared ceramic emitters with a concave radiating surface and special coating.
During the heating process, fixed on the drive frame inside the heating chamber tube rotates continuously with a velocity that ensures uniform surface heating. This method prevents a possible tube shape distortion at high temperatures.
Each chamber has a number of horizontal panels consisting of distributed ceramic emitters ICH-100 with a concave radiating surface and special coating. CH1-103 and CH1-104 chambers provide simultaneous two-sided (from outside and inside) customizable infrared heating of rotating coupling.
The infrared heating process is controlled by continuously monitoring the tube surface temperature with three non-contact infrared pyrometric sensors connected to the control unit. After reaching the preset temperature, the heat shrink oven stops the heating process and gives sound and light signals.
EUROLINIA heat shrink tubing ovens are operated by the integrated control panel. The heating management program allows the operator to perform the following functions:
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How does an infrared heater work? Here's a simple answer: Generally speaking, infrared heat is the energy of light. Like sunlight, it heats organic matter (things made of carbon). That is why when you stand in the sun, you feel warm, but when you stand in the shade, you feel cooler. An infrared heater works about the same way. While the temperature in the shade will rise due to the conductivity of the surrounding matter, it is the energy of the electromagnetic infrared radiation that triggers the temperature rise.
Companies incorporate infrared heating into their heating processes because it allows them to run production at a higher rate than convection heating. Convection is by far the most common method of heat treatment. The use of infrared radiation can significantly increase the efficiency and control of the heating process. The reduction in work-in-progress and increase in productivity can sometimes be up to 10 times greater than with convection. Finally, infrared radiation can benefit the environment. For example, electric infrared heating does not consume fossil fuels. Another positive quality is the reduction of air pollution. By design, convection heating moves a lot of air-containing particles that can adversely affect the quality of the process
Next, we have to look at the process itself. Faster, greener and cheaper sounds great, but if the quality of the process decreases, it creates new problems. However, an infrared heater can help improve product processing quality. More control over the heating process is a key advantage of the infrared heat shrink tubing ovens. With infrared heating, it becomes possible to direct light energy precisely where it is needed and increase the accuracy of the heat delivered to the desired areas of the tube.
Infrared heat can be used in most ovens configurations, including conveyors. Infrared will be most effective when used on a flat part where light energy can see all sides; however, even complete curing of complex geometries can be accomplished with proper heating emitter layout design.
Heat treatment oven equipment is also a growing market for infrared heating. While the use of infrared in thermoforming equipment is usually driven by productivity gains, the precise control of the heating process required for delicate parts is also critical. Typically, these parts can include composites, plastics, webs, or even wood and MDF. Materials often have temperature limitations and can be called heat-sensitive. The problem may lie in the material itself or in the way it is made.
In addition to the problems associated with the material's maximum heating temperature limitations, the part itself can be even more sensitive. For these reasons, it is exponentially more difficult to work with temperature-sensitive materials than it is to heat metal parts. Temperature-sensitive parts - by composition or design - respond to applied heat. In contrast, when dealing with a piece of steel plate, there is little the furnace can do to damage the parts. For example, if there is a powder-coated metal part finish, the powder will eventually burn off when heated to temperatures above the limits, but the part itself will be fine. However, when the part is made of plastic, fiberboard, or even wood, incorporating infrared heating into the process will be a challenge.
For example, when heating, curing, or even powder coating a plastic part, the part will melt long before it reaches its maximum processing temperature. Heat sensitivity problems can also apply to any metal assemblies containing heat-sensitive material, such as door foam core or gaskets, or elastomer sealing materials. The advantage of infrared in these cases is that it allows users to control the temperature of the material to such an extent that the part can be effectively heated without damage.
Infrared is also increasingly being used for other heat treatments such as annealing, drying, dehydration, lamination, and sintering. Many of these processes are high-volume productions that sometimes run at high speeds. Infrared systems can be designed to produce controlled heat in just a few seconds. Because production lines move at hundreds of feet per minute, this level of control is necessary to get good results.
Since heat control is a key benefit of infrared, how do you properly design a heat shrink tube oven for it? Keep in mind that control is a relative concept: the level needed for one part may be excessive for another. To avoid over-designing a system, it is important to know what level of process and part control is required. Testing is the best way to determine this.
Once you know what level of control is needed, you can work with an experienced infrared heat shrink oven equipment designer. There are two areas of calculation for controlling the heating process: the performance of the heater itself and the zoning of the heating inside the furnace. Zoning is controlling a group of heaters together. It may be desirable to control a group of heaters from the bottom up or from input to output, depending on the process. Process line speed, part opening, part configuration, and material handling also affect zone design.
To begin the process of selecting a heating element, consider the design of the infrared heater itself. There is a direct correlation between control and operating temperature. Each type of infrared heater, due to the type of design, transmits most of its infrared energy at different temperature ranges and, therefore, at different levels of control. At the same time, there is a direct correlation between the operating temperature and the cost of operation.
The lowest temperature uses gas catalytic technology, which produces long-wave infrared heat. Economical to operate, gas catalytic technology catalyzes a fuel or hydrocarbon through a chemical combustion reaction to create flameless heat, which is limited to a heater surface temperature of 538 C. Its control is achieved by modulating the gas pressure. More or less fuel is fed into the process as required by the programmable logic controller (PLC), which learns the flow level needed to achieve the desired results. The response time is minutes.
Long-wave IR radiation is also produced in electric ceramic infrared heaters. These heating elements heat up within a couple of minutes and are capable of working for a long time.
In the medium-wave range, electric resistance elements with quartz tubes are most commonly used. They can cause a temperature change in seconds. They are durable and have great flexibility. The heating range is up to 700 C.
The short-wave category includes halogen infrared lamps. One of the most common is the tungsten element known as Т3. These lamps provide almost instant on/off, and the temperature of the internal halogen-shielded tungsten element can reach over 2000 C. The lamps offer better controllability, but they have the shortest lifespan. Also, the cost of electricity is higher than gas, but electric heaters offer a much higher level of control. By optimizing zone control, you can reduce the difference in operating costs associated with gas. Electric elements typically cost less than gas catalytic elements, so evaluating operating costs over time is the best way to compare technologies.
Each type of heating element has its strengths and weaknesses. Process performance is the most important factor in choosing a technology, but operating costs and infrared heat shrink tube oven design choices for process heating are not something you can find in a design manual. It takes a great deal of experience and a certain art to creating optimally designed infrared equipment. For some parts, any type of infrared heater will work. Others require a certain type. Again, it's best to start with testing. One way to accomplish this is to choose an infrared equipment manufacturer with its testing lab. The oven or heater manufacturer can develop an oven profiling report for your process.
Remember, there's no such thing as bad technology-just bad use of good heat treatment techniques. The best choice depends on your details and your application.
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