Catenary oven

tunneldryingcuring

Presentation
Industrial infrared ovens and radiant heating systems dedicated to the automotive sector for paint drying, thermocompression/textile processing, composite treatment and forming/thermoforming. Customized solutions, assembled and tested in factory, ISO 9001 certified.

Key advantages

• Productivity and throughput: reduced cycle times (e.g., 10 s gain on a 60 s cycle → +20% productivity).
• Energy control: low‑inertia infrared consuming only during heating (measured savings 30–50% depending on the application; per‑part consumption often halved).
• Zero rejects: multi‑zone control and double‑sided heating to avoid scorching, deformation or overheating of sensitive parts.
• Flexibility and universality: line designs capable of processing a wide variety of parts without reconfiguration.

Technologies and solutions offered

• RadiantLine™ emitters and a range of IR emitters (shortwave IR, midwave IR, longwave IR) selected according to product and process.
• Double‑sided heating to significantly reduce cycle time (gains of 10–20 s per cycle on textiles and panels).
• Multi‑zone control (temperature‑driven, not power‑driven): up to 50 independent zones on a panel, two‑face pyrometry and cycle historization.
• ThermalCore™ control cabinets for centralized control, synchronization with line speed and recipe memorization.
• Mechanical protection and filtration solutions (wire mesh and stainless fabric) to limit soiling and extend emitter life.
• Ovens & tunnels (including half‑mobile arches, overhead carriages) adapted to paint, assembly, spot repair, thermocompression and composites.
• Predictive maintenance: ThermalCloud™ platform for supervision, historization and drift detection.

Industrial application examples

• Paint touch‑up and curing (curing tunnels, half‑arches, overhead carriages).
• Painting on plastic parts (controlled curing at 70–80 °C, regulation to the degree).
• Thermocompression of carpets and acoustic insulators (double‑sided heating, ~one‑third cycle time reduction).
• Thermocompression and forming of panels in natural fibers, fiberglass or polypropylene (cycles of 35–40 s).
• Heating during filament winding and post‑wind curing for H₂ tanks, adhesive bonding of steel inserts and functionalization of battery trays (cycles reduced by factor 5 vs hot air).

Project approach & deployment

• Thermal audit of existing lines, trials in real conditions at the integrator/manufacturer, pilot phases and industrialization.
• Factory assembly and electrical tests before delivery, tested modules, front‑side maintenance without oven disassembly.
• Customer experiences showing: reduced per‑part consumption, increased productivity, decreased rejects and multi‑site deployments.

Technical characteristics / specifications

• Shortwave IR responsiveness: response time 1 to 5 s (vs ~300 s for high‑inertia solutions).
• Shortwave IR efficiency: typ. 80–90% (vs 50–60% for midwave quartz IR depending on context).
• Energy consumption: measured savings 30–50%; per‑part consumption often halved depending on application.
• Double‑sided heating: differentiated power per face, simultaneous two‑face pyrometry.
• Multi‑zone regulation: up to 50 independent zones per panel; recording of the last 20–30 cycles for drift detection.
• Power ratings and configurations referenced in case studies: high‑power midwave IR 2×65 kW/m² (initial requirement), shortwave IR alternative 2×40 kW/m² (operating at ~60% of setpoint during trials).
• Example panel size: 2.5 m × 1.8 m cut into 50 zones (deployment example).
• Typical curing temperatures (plastic paint): window 70–80 °C.
• Typical cycles: thermocompression 35–40 s; confirmed throughput gains by trials (e.g., cycles divided by 5 for some operations replacing hot air).
• Protection & robustness: wire mesh + stainless fabric reducing ~95% of deposits on lower panels, extended maintenance intervals (e.g., 6 months depending on operating conditions).
• Certifications & quality: solutions compliant with industrial requirements, factory assembly and testing, ISO 9001 certification noted.