As noted in ResearchGate’s article, “Evaluation of Continuous Convection and Radiation Ovens in Automobile Cure Industry,” paint curing ovens are critical to the automotive production process, with radiation ovens gaining popularity due to their energy-saving benefits and more effective curing methods. Replacing convection ovens with radiation ovens in the Iranian auto manufacturing sector, for instance, has been shown to reduce energy consumption by up to 32%. This shift is especially beneficial for complex auto body designs that require precise temperature control for optimal curing.
Radiation ovens, while more complex to design, offer significant advantages over convection ovens, particularly in their ability to apply heat directly to the car body surface using infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) rays. This allows for faster and more efficient curing compared to the convection method, which first heats the air before transferring that heat to the body. In auto manufacturing, where continuous oven processes are common, radiation ovens have become a key tool for improving both production speed and quality.
In recent years, advances in computational design have further enhanced the effectiveness of radiation ovens. Algorithms now allow manufacturers to optimize heater layouts and temperature distribution, reducing the trial-and-error nature of previous design processes. Despite these improvements, the complexity of 3D body geometries in modern vehicles remains a challenge, particularly when aiming for a uniform cure on hard-to-reach areas like the bottom or back surfaces of the car body.
Convection ovens, though simpler to design, involve more energy consumption and are harder to model accurately. In this study, researchers applied a moving boundary method to simulate convection ovens and compared the results with experimental data. While convection ovens remain widely used, especially for mass production, the growing focus on energy efficiency and precise heat application has prompted many manufacturers to explore radiation ovens as a viable alternative.
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Article with all rights reserved, courtesy of ResearchGate.net
