Archive for the 'Infrared Heating Experts' Category

Map making – from craft into science

As Autumn gets into its stride so too does our new Innovation Partnership project – funded by Enterprise Ireland – and partnering Ceramicx with the University of Limerick.

Our interviewing process for the project team is going well.  Map making – fundamental research – is a funny thing and researchers into scientific fundamentals are also a rare and interesting breed.   In truth – since there is no path to follow – the investigative skills needed for our project will be 90% measurement and science based.

However, the research discipline also requires more than a touch of intuition and common sense – not least to help us not waste time and resource in blind alleys. Good detectives always back their gut instinct in knowing where and where not to look.

Like the map-makers and investigators of old our intent at Ceramicx is to create a new world of infrared heating knowledge so that we and others may follow through with it. Incredibly, although infrared technology was discovered over one hundred years ago, much of the work in heating applications still remains approximate and inexact.

Our fundamental project aim therefore is to collect and verify enough data and process measurement in the infrared production process so as to be able to scientifically engineer and produce what once belonged to a craft process. Added to that, our project will also enable us to make this engineering process robust, repeatable and scaleable – to produce as little or as much as needed.

Frank Wilson, Ceramicx MD and Dr Mark Southern, University of Limerick discuss the next steps in their Innovation Partnership

There will be many twists and turns along the way from here, but from the outset – and together with Dr Mark Southern’s team from the University of Limerick – we are confident of creating the map from the terrain.

As we create our scientific IR knowledge base we shall use this and other communications channels to keep you informed of our discoveries. It promises to be an exciting two years ahead!

A full report on the project – its aims and scope – will be carried in the next issue of HeatWorks magazine. If you missed out on our last issue – just order one up from Ceramicx direct and get yourself on the mailing list.

 

 

 

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

The people factor?

I read something entertaining recently about ‘your best company salesman….He may not be a closer on many or any deals – but he never leaves his post. He’s always available on a 365; 24/7 basis. He’s always very well turned out – has great visibility and profile at all times and manages to get to the most far-flung locations with great effectiveness and minimal cost.’

Who could that be? The riddle about this paragon refers to the company website of course. At Ceramicx we believe it to be true and we therefore back our top sales resource to the full with ongoing investment and quality support.

Great competence in one area such as this pushes the envelope; raises the bar and asks questions of other parts of the business. And rather than levelling down, there is a tendency for other areas to rise to the challenge – in production; in service and in people skills.

This has certainly been happening for Weco International, our US friends and distributors. The current autumn edition of Heat Works magazine contains the full story of our partnership developments stateside.

In a nutshell – and against a background of US industrial uncertainty – Weco has this year managed to expand both its sales activities and to further grow its US territories through the forging of skilful partnerships in the infrared heating industry.

How has it done this? According to owner Brett Wehner, through some powerful core principles and through working with and through the right people. The Weco manifesto is based upon Persistence – Determination – Integrity – and via these guiding lights the company has this year opened up fresh markets in the New England states and also – looking Southward -  in Tennessee.

This is a remarkable achievement: What it tells me is that in an era of unlimited information and seemingly endless online time there are, in addition,  some special challenges and rewards for those that are able to raise their person-to-person game in the way that Brett and his team have managed.

It is essential of course that your best sales guy stays at his post 24/7 in the manner already described. But creativity; deal making; relationships; innovation – all these other things have been greatly liberated in recent years. Pay equal attention to these factors and business success can be greatly assured.

Posted in ceramicx, Heatworks, Infrared, Infrared Heating Experts, Infrared Heating Solutions, Infrared Heating Technology, Plastics Thermoforming, Thermoforming, Weco International | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fundamentalism – a good thing when it comes to energy

As the new term gets well into its stride, the autumn edition of our Heat Works magazine lands on desks. We have our usual mix of the topical, the technical and the infrared fundamentals, as we preach ‘em here at Ceramicx.

Among other things, this autumn sees us looking ahead to a season of exhibitions and shows for the plastics sector – in the UK; in Turkey and in Germany.

The UK’s triennial Interplas 2011 exhibition in Birmingham last week reminded me why Ceramicx continues to emphasise energy useage, energy cost and energy efficiency in our promotion of infrared heating in plastics manufacturing.

Once upon a time – perhaps twenty years ago – plastics manufacturing began to pay some attention to the cost of running machines. Buyers saw energy monitoring and efficiency as a ‘nice-to-have’ extra for production. The function was mainly to provide production information for management.

But energy is fundamental now; energy tariffs are inevitably rising and energy useage is much more than an interesting story for businesses. Last week’s discussions around the NEC stands at Interplas made it clear that the energy-use rating on any machine purchase will now play a key part in the purchase or not of that machine.

A thermoforming machine at today’s price can and will give at least twenty years of valuable production. But what size of energy bills will your company face next year? In three, five, ten years time?  You’ll have spent your capital sum and with no going-back you might then come to regret the ongoing energy costs that you’re shackled up to.

Manufacturers need to take a step back and consider their energy-consumption futures.  If not able to invest in a new machine you might want to spend a much smaller sum on an infrared-heating overhaul that can save you money from the get-go.

No fundamental concerns the plastics industry as much as its energy bills – and rightly so. Heat Works Autumn 2011 edition contains two special features that highlight tips and savings in plastics thermoforming and also in plastics blow moulding.

Read more about that here in the coming weeks – or get your magazine copy directly from us.

Posted in ceramicx, Heatworks, Infrared Heating Consultants, Infrared Heating Experts, Infrared Heating Solutions, Infrared Heating Technology, Plastics Thermoforming | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

China – the new Ceramicx frontier

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ceramicx has joined forces with Guangzhou Cerami Automatic Equipment Ltd (GCAE) and is now supplying China with all the best in infrared heating solutions.

GCAE stands for Guangzhou Cerami Automatic Equipment and is located in Guangzhou city, the economic centre of South China’s coastal areas. GCAE now has a special remit to promote Ceramicx in China and with ambitious plans to become Ceramicx’s biggest worldwide agent/distributor.

We hosted the GCAE team here in Ireland this spring and were extremely impressed with the professionalism, commitment and know-how of the company.

Together with our new partner, Ceramicx now has a unique role to play in the servicing of much high-quality manufacturing in China and in spreading the infrared heating message there. In addition to the rapport and understanding between the two companies, we believe that GCAE chose us for three main reasons:

1. High quality infrared heating products; this includes energy savings, evenness of heat quality and performance, temperature control precision, long life time

2. Advanced Infrared-based technology – with applications in many kinds of industries

3. Breadth and variety of the Ceramicx product line; including long-wave, middle-wave and short-wave IR products.

GCAE currently has eight employees and plans a further 50% growth by the end of this year – embracing all technical, sales and logistics functions.  Guangzhou Cerami Automatic Equipment will firstly work in promoting Ceramicx products to customers; provide technology supports and infrared education. Our new partner will also help resolve all kinds heating difficulties and work to the goal of lower customer’s production costs.

In common with most places in the world, Chinese infrared technology is beginning from a limited base. But as Chinese industry continues to develop, infrared technology will have wider and wider applications. The current heating alternatives to infrared are hot air, hot oil, gas, traditional electrical resistance heating.

However, as elsewhere, there is great pressure in China to build energy-efficient and environmental heating equipment – which clearly favors infrared. Infrared demand in China will be huge – and GCAE and Ceramicx are one in our intention to be the best infrared brand in China.

You can read more about our new venture and the Chinese market in the next edition of Heat Works – out later this month. Simply contact us direct for your copy.

Posted in ceramicx, Heatworks, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts, Infrared Heating Solutions, Infrared Heating Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Science – Engineering – Applications

Good things come in threes – as I never tire of saying. Radiation itself manifests three primary properties that all need some fundamental understanding in order to apply the technology properly.

Another mantra getting a lot of air time at Ceramicx these days is Science – Engineering – Applications.

Customers, customer needs and ideas and uses for technology (applications) provide the drivers for the engineering that is needed to make the products actually work. And science and scientific laws provide the necessary foundations for engineering work.

As experienced Infrared Heating Consultants this trinity of values can be found in all the infrared heating work that we do. The past 18 months has seen shuttling back and forth between the constituent parts. And as customers come to us with more variants for IR useage, so we need to be pushing the boundary of all three frontiers in order to get results.

So much so that the time has now come for a further quantum shift in our IR development – underscored with the formality of a new project and expansion of activity here at the factory.

Ceramicx is now embarked upon the second phase of our Innovation Partnership together with the University of Limerick (UL) and Enterprise Ireland. A brief pause for thanks is due to our friends and associates Mark Southern, Paul McCluskey and Tom Bannon for all their help in framing the project scope and in lining up the terms of reference and the resources.

We are now getting down to realising the new project aims and making things happen. New recruitment of the UL team is underway and over the next two years a detailed series of scientific-based road maps will be created in order to describe the inputs and outputs in the complex manufacturing mix of materials; humidity; temperature and electrics that combine in the manufacture of ceramic-based IR heaters.

Our ambition is nothing less than to create an unequalled matrix and underpinning of scientific know-how for IR heating manufacturing matters; all based on empirical measurement and on proveable and repeatable scientific theory and engineering.

Our first phase of the Innovation Partnership with UL brought us world-class results in terms of our product definition, its measurement and automated quality control. Our appetite to continue on is more than whetted. We are more than relishing the opportunity to go forward at Ceramicx with the help of Mark Southern and his UL team.

As ever, you will be able to read more about this topic in more depth in the next issue of HeatWorks magazine – out next month.

Simply contact us direct for your copy.

Posted in ceramicx, Frankly Speaking, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Consultants, Infrared Heating Experts, IR development | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment