Infrared Curing Systems Offer Alternative to Tried-and-True Convection Heat Sources

摘要

As part of a paint or powder coat finishing line, the time will come when a retrofit, upgrade for new cure oven will be needed. The most common industry choice is a gas convection oven. Whether in batch or a flow-through application, convection is used in the vast majority of installations. Before a large capital purchase is made that will last you for years, the question you might want to consider is whether convection is the only choice for your application and if you should also be considering other options. The first thing to consider before making this decision is to understand your time and temperature standards. Each paint or powder comes with a printed standard based upon the manufacturer's tests. These tests are based upon using a convection oven for curing. Since most paint or powder manufacturers typically do not include an infrared cure time, most people do not consider infrared as a heat source for their oven. By using infrared exclusively or even just boosting your convection with infrared, almost all paint and powders can be successfully cured at dramatically faster rates than with convection. Most every new or retrofit application would be well served to consider infrared as an option.