Archive for the 'infrared heaters' Category

Chinaplas 2012 – infrared heating quality like never before

May 10, 2012 by Cathal Wilson

Now that the dust has settled it seems as good a time as any to unpack a few thoughts from the Ceramicx exhibition experiences at Chinaplas 2012 exhibition at the end of last month.

For sheer volume of visitors and for human traffic the Chinaplas show is a coming force. Ceramicx has re-affirmed its presence at Chinaplas in its Guangzhou location next year and all expect this year’s footfall of 110,000 to be exceeded. The show – and the Chinese plastics industry – will continue to grow.


All in all Ceramicx had an excellent first exhibition. We were looked after well in Hall W1 as an independent supplier by our Chinese agents and distributor. In addition to Chinese business we also made several important connections with plastics industries in Indonesia, India and the Philippines. As Chinaplas grows so will the involvement of countries outside Chinese borders.

95% of success, they say, comes from just showing up. It was a very good move indeed to make ourselves present for Ceramicx at the show, front and centre. We were able to show our first hand product knowledge and able also to walk our Chinese visitors through all the IR technical ins and outs. Nothing beats showing up.

In some ways Chinese industry has now become the most demanding and quality conscious in the world. At Chinaplas 2012 we confirmed for ourselves that the Chinese market has a huge and growing appetite for applications engineering and for knowledge on how our infrared heat emitters can be applied and used to better effect across a multitude of processes.

To date ceramic-based IR emitters have been the stable diet in China.  Ceramicx is now fielding a growing interest in Quartz and Quartz Halogen/Tungsten IR technology and how the different sources of infrared are suitable for different applications.

All in all the Ceramicx Chinaplas experience and our follow through was well worth the learning curve and the time taken. We shall be back again next year with many further improvements and innovations.

Posted in ceramicx, Chinaplas, Infrared, infrared heaters, IR development | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Orlando here we come!

March 23, 2012 by Cathal Wilson

When NPE opens its doors on April 1, Orlando Florida, the Ceramicx Wild Geese, Patrick Wilson and Tadgh Whooley will have flown in and helped set up shop.

Patrick is one of the newest recruits to our team and Tadgh is one of longest standing employees and both have a different set of skills that will complement each other and service the NPE show perfectly.

Patrick’s schooling and education has seen him track the fortunes of the oil and gas industries across three continents and languages are high up in his skill set. It’s most likely that they’ll be needed since this year’s premier American show is expected to see a big upswing of visitors from Central and Southern America.

Brazil recently overtook the UK as the 6th largest world economy. The boom in South American manufacturing is embracing plastics – no doubt about it – and Ceramicx hopes and intends that many such business take advantage of all that our infrared heating solutions have to offer.

The Ceramicx Wild Geese also offer IR applications engineering know-how in depth: Tadgh Whooley, Technical Sales Engineer, and veteran of a number of international shows, most recently the K 2010 in Dusseldorf – will also be on hand for all matters of technology and applications engineering.

Tadgh will be able to advise on heat characteristics and performance parameters for various kinds of plastics – especially in sheet version for thermoforming needs.

Tadgh’s recent work in all aspects of custom built IR applications engineering, including technical certification; system design and installation will also be available for visitors to the US triennial show.

Expert in electrical engineering, AutoCad and other aspects of IR heating system design, Tadgh also oversees all halogen tungsten heater sales for Ceramicx – also available in the US via Weco International.

You can read all about Ceramicx at NPE in this month’s HeatWorks issue. Contact Ceramicx direct to get your free copy.

Posted in ceramicx, Heatworks, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts, IR development, Thermoforming, Weco International | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What a difference a year makes

March 5, 2012 by Frank Wilson

Anyone doubting the ability of US manufacturing to pick itself up and get stuck into business through 2012 could do worse than read our forthcoming edition of HeatWorks magazine where we devote some eight pages to the issue.

Today’s trade winds are a funny thing. Only in the past couple of weeks has it been comfortable to recognise the US situation, come out and name it. That’s how fast things change globally and that’s how sensitive the international trading barometers are set these days.

Putting our US material together has reminded me of the critical importance of that country’s infrared heating needs for Ceramicx. The US remains our number one market and Ceramicx is fortunate enough to have a partner there in Weco International whose watchwords include persistence, determination and integrity. In truth it is these qualities that are now seeing US manufacturing through. That, together with a new leap of imagination that sees US manufacturers finally taking the energy-saving message on board.

This latter news certainly gladdens my heart: If US manufacturing is finally being provoked into realising how much energy it puts through its processes then there surely is hope for the rest of the world. Not measuring, not caring how much your plant spends on energy, is questionable business sense to say the least.

The new agenda sees our infrared heating technology and our energy monitoring systems taking market share and growing in reputation. The triennial Amercian plastics exhibition in Orlando Florida, April 1-5, will give us added opportunities to prove it to that sector. Already we are servicing US plastics thermoformers and blow moulders who have bought new machines but who realise that the energy performance needs to be even better, both for energy monitoring and for energy effectiveness in heat work.
Brett Wehner will therefore lead his Weco/Ceramicx team onto the Orlando Florida showground on April 1 knowing that increased manufacturing optimism; increased demand for quality engineering and increased demand for energy efficiency all point in favour of great business at NPE 2012.

The US market is now ready to buy a quality and efficient heater -  not just on price, but also on performance and energy measurement. There has been a shift in attitude. Infrared heating ideas and solutions are coming up further in the mix. It’s time for capital investment once again, and it’s also time for US manufacturing to invest in its future.

One short year has made all the difference – and Weco/Ceramicx is ready for the business, with IR products and services to match.

Posted in ceramicx, Infrared Heater Manufacturer, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Solutions, Infrared Heating Technology, IR development, Weco International | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

All points East and West

February 10, 2012 by Cathal Wilson

Small companies such as ourselves who supply to a full variety of global markets have to develop a strong mindset that can cope with being in several places at once.

I haven’t yet run to having the international time zone clock on my desk – but right now it doesn’t seem like a bad idea. East is meeting West more and more frequently in international business these days – particularly as China’s performance and ambitions continue to rise.

For example, no sooner have we finished the preparation and issues relating to our first Ceramicx exhibition stand at Chinaplas, Shanghai (the show begins in late April 2012) than I’m thinking about marketing needs for the USA National Plastics Exposition starting in Orlando Florida three weeks earlier.

At the same the Ceramicx factory floor is seeing the first fruits and benefits from our Innovation Partnership manufacturing research work – conducted with the University of Limerick team.

It’s all good. In fact the cross fertilisation of various markets and marketing needs helps us at Ceramicx to realise the common platform for infrared heating needs worldwide. We get to identify the strongest common denominators in our products and the marketing of the Ceramicx brand. We enhance these elements accordingly and we also get to make the IR heating benefits and applications even clearer.

And our next edition of our HeatWorks magazine will therefore outline and celebrate these issues and markets in a special East/West edition which Ceramicx will publish next month, ahead of these important shows.

In the meantime, what time is it in Beijing?……

Posted in ceramicx, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Innovation Partnership, Innovation Partnership Project, IR development | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Community means communication

January 16, 2012 by Cathal Wilson

It’s always a pleasure to spend a little time with freshly completed pieces of work; a new oven system for a thermoforming client; a new process or way of organising an aspect of production; a new conference paper or company presentation.

In today’s world, however, time on such pleasures is increasingly short lived.
Having just riffled through the pages of the fifth issue of our HeatWorks magazine I am aware that new issues and contributions are already needing attention for the next issue – due out in March 2012.

Success breeds success – ditto for good communication. For example, the next issue of HeatWorks magazine will have plenty more to say on the science and impact of infrared heat upon the human body; what heating comfort means and how to most effectively apply.

With Ceramicx exhibiting at the triennial US plastics exhibition in Orlando Florida, April 1-5, we shall once again be reporting on the evolving markets for IR heating in the reviving US manufacturing economy.

Two weeks later Ceramicx is exhibiting at Chinaplas 2012 in Shanghai: We shall therefore be using HeatWorks magazine to communicate about our work there and in the upcoming market of China. We shall have more IR case studies to come from our friends and associates in Germany; on best manufacturing practice in Ireland, as well as updates from our own manufacturing plant, new products and new processes.

With all that in mind – and knowing how time flies – I wanted to sound just a quick note here in sincere appreciation of our the partners, customers and stakeholders who – in this completed package of HeatWorks magazine  – have helped us build the infrared heating message – as well as the business itself.

If you – our readers – have an interest in any aspect of Infrared Heating we extend an open invitation to you to join in this community of interest and to join in this work of communication. Our door is always open to you.

Copies of the latest HeatWorks magazine – fifth edition – are available directly from the company  – just order the latest from Ceramicx direct and get yourself on the mailing list.

Posted in Heatworks, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, IR development, Thermoforming | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment