Our client contacted us pursuing a more efficient/lean method of annealing polycarbonate automotive trim. The existing batch process was inefficient as the parts were collected and processed in large convection ovens. The heating process took over 50 minutes and required extraneous handling of the parts. INTEK performed testing and was able to shorten the annealing process to 12 minutes with an INTEK continuous infrared conveyor oven. The customer purchased 15 ovens and installed automation at the entrance and exit of the oven and has been successfully running the INTEK oven annealing line for over 7 years.
Companies committed to sustainability, looking for alternatives to petroleum-based products are developing new ways to manufacture, and INTEK is glad to be a part of this process. One company making tableware using biomaterials required a conveyor oven to keep up with high volume production and the accurate drying and curing of the special coating. INTEK designed and manufactured a special unit so successfully that multiple systems have now been purchased. INTEK is pleased to work together with our to contribute to the global goal of decarbonization.
A leading plastic to metal manufacturer contacted INTEK with the need for a small convection conveyor oven to release adhesive on plastic parts prior to bonding to metal. The challenge was to heat the plastic parts enough to release the adhesive without softening the plastic substrate. INTEK conveyor ovens allow for precise process temperature control making this task possible. The customer was able to upgrade their process from batch to continuous thus forwarding their lean process initiative.
Challenge:
Customer needed to dry moisture from PC cards used in medical devices requiring oven process temperatures of 104-194°F (40°C – 90°C +/-2°C).
Solution:
A custom INTEK electric infrared heat chamber was designed utilizing direct IR heat combined with an air recirculation system and conveyorized throughput. Unit manufactured specifically for aqueous content to be dried from the substrate without damaging primary components. This process required precise tolerances which were achieved with accurate results.
Customer approached INTEK with a challenging available footprint for their process. INTEK ran initial tests and verified the OM-model infrared heaters brought the parts to process temperature in a fraction of the time that a convection oven would have performed. This allowed INTEK to design the oven in a small footprint with a dual-zone design while keeping up with the customer’s production requirements.
The customer arrived at INTEK with a challenge in their carbon fiber material process, and following in-house testing with the customer, INTEK was able to offer a process heating solution to meet the challenge.
The material required homogeneous, controllable heating across the entire web. INTEK OM-model infrared heaters were the perfect match for the application due to the inherent characteristics of the flat-panel emitter design. With properly engineered thermal zoning, the customer was able to carbonize their material with precision and speed.
When a leading tier one global supplier of innovative line and connection technology for vehicle systems needed to replace an old oven with a high-quality performance industrial oven, they called INTEK to find it. The high-quality rubber hoses needed to be shaped with precision so the temperature to make it happen had to be consistent and accurate.
This unit was a crucial component of the lab for this company. It not only required to meet strict results, but also sometimes was used for demanding production.