Catalytic Infrared ovens are used for all aspects of curing powder coatings from pre-gel/pre-heat or booster ovens to full cure lines. Often called pre-gel, pre-heat or booster ovens, all are used to fuse or flow the powder coating prior to a convection oven. There are many benefits associated with pre-gel ovens including:

• No part cross paint contamination – powdered paint loss is eliminated due to low air flow.

• Reduced maintenance and clean up within the convection oven.

• Ovens are modular in design and ready for fast on site assembly.

Design considerations:

Catalytic Infrared powder coating ovens utilize highly efficient, patented catalytic heaters.  The heaters are zoned using a gas pulse system that is incorporated into a UL approved control panel.  Each oven is custom tailored to your specific requirements based on part size, type of coating, conveyor height and line speed.  Catalytic Infrared ovens are environmentally friendly emitting no regulated pollutant gases – meeting the requirement by many States for low Nox burners by emitting no (zero) Nitrous Oxide (NO_x) gasses.

How they work:

Catalytic infrared ovens are very easy to operate.  To start the oven, a short electrical preheat is required to establish the catalytic reaction. Once established the flow of natural gas is carefully metered by a multi zoned gas pulse system technology specific to the given application.

Catalytic heaters produce long to medium wave length infra red energy from a flameless oxidation process. Using propriety platinum based catalyst; the products of combustion are extremely environmentally friendly, emitting only water vapor and carbon dioxide. Since the emitted surface temperature of 400 - 900^oF is below the combustion temperature of natural gas, there is no flame, while the heater, generates a diverse and evenly distributed, long to medium wave infrared energy across the entire surface of the heater.  The resulting low intensity infrared energy that is produced matches the absorption characteristics of organic coatings such as powder and liquid as well as that of water.  As a result, these coatings quickly increase in temperature when exposed to catalytic heaters.

Oven Designs:

Catalytic infrared curing ovens are used for fully curing powder coatings, to dry solvent and water based paint for metal and wood coatings on vertical as well as flat line conveyor systems.  Besides offering pre-fabricated custom-designed ovens, retrofit kits are available to replace electric infrared oven heater systems.  A retrofit to gas infrared from electric IR offers the following benefits:

• Provides a quick return on investment through energy cost savings

• Eliminates inefficient, contaminated reflectors

• Provides a safe environmentally friendly solution

The benefits of a fully reflected catalytic infrared oven for powder coating are shown in this thermal image.  The heaters (in yellow) and reflected IR in purple and orange areas. The image represents a well designed infrared oven optimized for curing powder on parts with complex geometry. Infrared is either absorbed or reflected.

Powder coated parts absorb the IR and the reflectors redirect errant IR energy until it is absorbed by the parts or reabsorbed by the heaters and re-radiated back towards the parts – a very efficient use of energy. The exterior oven panels are non-insulated and remain at room temperature.
 

Oven design and component selection is very important.  Often, designers will place heaters on a framework referred to as "heaters on a stick" Without reflectors, the errant IR is lost forever, as it passes between the heaters and is absorbed by the insulated infrared oven walls and not the part. This style of infrared oven design is 50 % less efficient causing greater energy consumption and often slower line speeds than originally proposed.

A correctly designed, fully reflected infrared oven provides energy efficiency and a line speed that will match production rates.  Each oven is designed to offer modular sections to fit and surround any part window and accommodate any line speed. Gas Pulse zone control of the infrared oven with this highly efficient technology, ensures economical use natural gas.  Multi zoning capability for top to bottom and entrance to exit, develops the ideal heating profile for any given object and type of coating, from high temperature to low bake systems.

For more information contact: Back to Videos   25085 Tricia Drive   Westlake, OH 44145-4915   (216) 536-9787