Posts Tagged 'Ceramicx Infrared heaters'

Europe remains vital

November 4, 2011 by Cathal Wilson

Our Autumn season of exhibitions continues: No sooner have our Friedr Freek friends in Germany finished telling the world about Ceramicx and infrared heating in plastics manufacture than yet another market opens up.

Last week our partners in Turkey, Ser Rezistans, had a very successful participation in the 21st International Istanbul Plastic Industries Fair. Plasteurasia is fast becoming the gateway event to the important Turkish market and beyond. International participation continues to grow, as do a number of Turkey’s leading OEM markets; in automotive, construction, white goods and high-volume packaging.

Ceramicx products on show at last week's Plasteurasia exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey

Hasan Duman of the company tells us that the high level of business at Plasteurasia includes much interest about Ceramicx Infrared capabilities and products. Ser Rezistans inquiries also included orders from makers of two thermoforming machinery companies who need machines building for new clients.

 

By any standard, Turkish manufacturing is clearly buoyant. Annual Turkish plastics industry growth is generally reckoned to be about thirteen percent and the flavour of this year’s Plasteurasia was very much about the country further selling its features and benefits into the international market places. (We feature more in depth material on the Turkish market in our current issue of HeatWorks magazine – just contact us direct for your copy.)

In truth, and very much despite the current EU shenanigans – there is currently much vitality in many parts of Europe – especially on the outer fringes and within the Central European manufacturing renaissance.

A new technology business like Ceramicx is always looking to couple our infrared heating expertise to that new manufacturing growth and vitality wherever we find it. And fortunately, we are continuing to succeed in searching out new territories.

On that note we now look due south to Barcelona, Spain. Later in the month that country’s trade exhibition, Equiplast, Nov 14-18, is set to be partnered by a brand new event and conference – Eurotec – led by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

Last year’s SPE President, Ken Braney – previously featured in our HeatWorks Magazine – spearheaded this move and we wish Ken and all his team all the best for this bold new venture.

Europe – a patchwork of cultures and opportunities – continues to be of central importance to business and the world economy. Ceramicx for one remains committed to finding and partnering all the positives within that changing picture.

Posted in ceramic heaters, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts, PlastEurasia, Plastics Thermoforming | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Map making – from craft into science

October 27, 2011 by Cathal Wilson

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

Science – Engineering – Applications

September 2, 2011 by Frank Wilson

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

Infrared heating and humans? – time for an in-depth scientific look

August 16, 2011 by Frank Wilson

As many of you will know, outside of our main industrial markets, Ceramicx also has a number of infrared products and ongoing projects aimed mainly at the consuming public.

Infrared heating development in Medical HealthcareOur technologies include infrared for indoor and outside space heating; infrared heating for petcare and creature comfort; a variety of food cooking techniques using infrared and also various infrared heating products for the medical and healthcare industries.

To experience infrared heating at first hand is to know that there is a real and qualitative difference in kind between it and other heat sources. The expression often used is that ‘it really gets into your bones’. It’s not just humans. A number of IR heating applications are being developed on the petcare and livestock front.

There are clearly some deeper issues involved with the IR preference that we at Ceramicx would like to explore further. And so – in keeping with the rest of our programme and product development – we will be casting a scientific-based eye over this part of the infrared spectrum.

The next edition of HeatWorks – out in September 2011- will therefore take a first look at this end of the infrared radiation spectrum, sometimes known as Far Infrared Radiation (FIR).

The article will be jointly created between ourselves and leading UK-based practitioner and innovator Simon Lea and will pay particular attention to the relationship between human physiology and that part of the IR radiation spectrum.

True, we can take for granted that infrared heating provides comfort and health for humans. But – as I never tire of saying – we have yet to determine exactly how and why. The world today has barely scratched the surface of the potential for infrared useage and technology.

The human body/infrared radiation interface is new territory. If – in this and other areas – we can use good science to make proveable roadmaps of cause and effect, then we will be able to open many new doors that will profit all.

Posted in ceramicx, Far Infrared Radiation, Heatworks, Infrared, Infrared Heater Manufacturer, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Follow the food chain – infrared heating makes thermoforming profitable

August 16, 2011 by Frank Wilson

The USA this week may be reeling from its exhausting political and economic wranglings but our friends and associates at Weco International go from strength to strength in servicing that country’s large and sophisticated thermoforming industry.

The land that invented fast food, food service packaging, and many other innovations in packaging has extensive and accompanying needs for volumes of thermoformed goods. Many thermoforming operations in the US are therefore both large scale and demanding in terms of quality. And as the world economy shifts we will undoubtedly see similar operations of scale and sophistication emerging  – in China, India, Russia and other areas of large population.

Meantime, Brett Wehner and the team at Weco in the US are growing the infrared network throughout all the states in America.  One recent job saw Weco doing great work for a leading international producer of disposable packaging with sites around the world. Weco’s client in this case needed a complete upgrade on one of its principal thermoforming lines for beverage food service.

The Weco team was required to upgrade the existing heating arrangements and ovens and to replace them with a more effective infrared-based solution. Ceramicx were in attendance through the project from start to finish in the design and supply of infrared thermoforming platens.

Thermoforming

As part of its work, Weco engineers succeeded in halving the overall oven length at the client – a move that resulted in immediate energy savings. And cycle times – shots per minute – were also increased by a substantial 15.2 to 23.4.  Weco’s Client  Line 1 became the fastest; not only within the factory but also within the client organisation as a whole. Substantial engineering work was also carried out in the machine control area – including ethernet communications; automation work and computing interfaces.

As Brett said to me after the job completion – ‘Imagine the ability to make over 50% improvements in your productivity and run it on just half the energy of previous!’ Most plastics thermoformers would take that, wouldn’t they?

However, it takes more than a shot of courage to truly innovate; to commit to those first steps in plant design and improvements – to take a step back and see the future in a new way. Successful thermoformers are doing just that – and unsuccessful thermoformers, however, are not. The latter group continue to ignore the signs; continue not to measure their energy useage or  their equipment performance – until it’s too late.

By the skin of its teeth, the US Government has lately stepped back from an avoidable conflict and disaster. At Ceramicx, we believe that good science, engineering and technology can help many companies do the same. A little foresight and cool reflection can go a mighty long way.

* Weco International features in the latest edition of Ceramicx HeatWorks magazine. Contact Ceramicx direct for your free copy of the magazine.

Posted in ceramicx, Frankly Speaking, Infrared, Infrared Heating Experts, Plastics Thermoforming, Thermoforming, Weco International | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment