Posts Tagged 'Infrared Heating Experts'

Infrared Heating – a message and mission that is succeeding

April 27, 2012 by Tadhg Whooley

It’s a funny thing – preparing for a large trade exhibition overseas: Above all, the guiding expectation is to be prepared for the unusual and the extraordinary. Anything and everything can happen, and most probably will.

However, some reflection on Ceramicx experiences at America’s triennial plastics show earlier this month leads me to believe that perhaps we have turned a corner in our communication of the benefits of Infrared Heating.

True, the visiting audience, mainly from the US, was from the plastics industry and was generally well informed. I cannot, however, recall a single technical question or conversation point that was wide of the IR mark. Generally all those who stopped to chat were very well informed about the technology.

Tadgh Whooley

It was also very pleasing to see that the most interesting prospects were plastics thermoformers with existing calrod ovens that wanted to upgrade to a more efficient system. For some while now we have known that this is a conversion that is needing to take place worldwide. Enlightened American industry is now grasping this message and the opportunity with both hands. Much American industry is also rapidly changing its attitude to the energy efficiency issues; more bangs per buck per kilowatt hours are now needed. And, as we know, most plastic thermoforming businesses are first in line for just such energy savings.

All counted, at NPE we received several significant thermoforming enquiries in this manner. Our US associate Weco is following these through and we hope to give more case study details later this year.

Other common IR questions at our Florida booth revolved mainly around explanations of the main differences between the different IR heater types: The Weco/Ceramicx booth featured a display unit with a ceramic long wave platen top, quartz medium platen centre and short wave halogen platen bottom. A lot of conversations occurred in front of this demonstration unit.  Another common theme at the show was the time for systems and materials to reach effective operating temperature. Most visitors also wanted to know the most efficient IR heater for their particular purposes.

To be sure, we cannot be certain that the IR heating message has really taken hold in global manufacturing. US-based plastics processors, however, seem to have a much clearer idea of how they can benefit and how Ceramicx can help them to help themselves. These businesses are definitely on the right track. Long may this trend continue – for the US and for the world.

Posted in Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts, NPE, Plastics Thermoforming, Thermoforming, Weco International | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Back to the shop floor

April 17, 2012 by Patrick Wilson

Right now Frank and Cathal Wilson will hopefully be assembling all the pieces of the Ceramicx booth in readiness for the Chinaplas show, which opens in Shanghai tomorrow.

It hardly seems possible that as soon as one large exhibition is processed by Ceramicx another is opening for business on the other side of the world. Here in Ireland I’m still adjusting back from the change in Florida time and from the ebb of some of the enquiries and order processing received at America’s biggest and best plastics exhibition, NPE, April 1-5.

NPE 2012 was a huge learning curve for me. Not only did I have to leave my production manager role behind for a whole week – trusting that all would be well! – it was then in at the deep end in terms of the dynamism at the show; the large variety of enquiries, interest and visitors of all shapes and sizes.

Sure enough, my Spanish and Portuguese language skills came in handy with visitors from Columbia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, and other parts of South and Central America. There is no doubt that the manufacturing industry is expanding greatly in those parts of the world – and plastics technologies with it. It’s a territory that we shall be cultivating and returning to in the coming months and years. Among the things brought back in the suitcase were several months worth of South American leads, opportunities and new relationships to be cultivated over the short and medium term.

In truth, the NPE show also taught me that most nearly every customer, large and small, sophisticated and beginner still has a whole new world of knowledge to explore when it comes to the particular language of Infrared Heating (IR); the issues and the benefits to be learned there.

In conversations about IR I often found myself spending a good deal of time on the groundwork; general and educative aspects. Once that was done you then move into getting great insight into what customers are actually looking for – it’s not always the same as you imagined! And then you start talking to them about solutions to their problems and actual needs. That gets everyone excited. And at the end of the day, we get much closer to our customers, which is the purpose of the show and where we need to be. Job done!

Well not quite. There’s the small matter of that week taken out from your normal job which now needs making up. New business or not, existing orders still need getting out the door. However, as Frank often says, it’s a high-grade problem to have. Ceramicx is looking forward to expansion on all these fronts as we go forward.

Posted in ceramicx, Chinaplas, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ceramicx IR heating on show at Chinaplas 2012

March 28, 2012 by Frank Wilson


As Chinaplas 2012 prepares to open its doors once more a new exhibitor – Ceramicx – is waiting in the wings – ready to launch a raft of high quality and in-demand IR heating products for the Chinese plastics processing industries.

Cáthál Wilson

Expectations are running high for Frank and Cathal Wilson who will both make the trip personally and who will both man the Ceramicx exhibition booth in Shanghai from April 18-21, 2012. Hall W1 – Stand T27

According to Frank Wilson, ‘the Chinaplas timing is near perfect for us and for our products. The Ceramicx investment in world-class quality systems, product traceability and performance has all yielded first class fruit  – which is offered to the Chinese market at just the right time.

Frank Wilson

Success in China now means supplying just these qualities into the Chinese marketplace. We believe that Chinese thermoformers, machine builders and Chinese plastics generally will be quick to see the advantages in quality infrared heating (IR) heating performance and in buying these products from Ceramicx.

Wilson adds that ‘our agents in Beijing and our new distributor GSAE has got us off to a great start. Their combined energy and know-how has been invaluable in spreading the Ceramicx word throughout the many markets and provinces of China. And how we have the opportunity of Chinaplas in Shanghai to work with.’

This year’s Chinaplas features a growing eco-emphasis; showing
energy saving servo motors, all-electric injection molding machines, bioplastics materials, and many new recycling technologies.

Frank Wilson says that ‘this kind of emphasis suits Ceramicx down to the ground. Not only do we insist on energy management and measurement as part of our customer service we are also aiming to use alternative energy sources in order to make our ceramic elements the lowest carbon footprinted in the world. Chinaplas will give us some excellent clues and orientation to help us satisfy these new environmental markets.’

Ceramicx will be exhibiting its infrared heating solutions in the so called Rest of the World hall at China. As befits geography the Ceramicx stand will be positioned between the British and USA pavillions

Posted in Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Consultants, Infrared Heating Solutions, IR development, Thermoforming | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The power of ideas

January 30, 2012 by Frank Wilson

Sooner or later in business one will stumble over the fact that “an idea doesn’t care who owns it.” Opportunity, conflict and plenty of work for lawyers can all follow on from there.

This free principle of ideas applies of course to both good and bad ideas – and timing is also everything. Some developments are ahead of their time and will alas be still-born while others wait too long, and opportunity then passes them by.

The trick is to have time and tide meet at just the right moment: And, to date, our new Irish Centre for Manufacturing Research (ICMR) is showing all the signs of a successful launch that is steadily gathering steam.

Barry Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, is steering the ship and our HeatWorks V Magazine issue contains a full interview with him about the goals of the new ICMR organisation and the progress made to date.

What pleases me most about the new ICMR is that is committed to a long overdue awakening of all the natural innovation and manufacturing talent that is already under our noses here in all corners of Ireland: Barry’s terms for this activity include ‘mapping tacit knowledge’ and ‘encouraging translational research’.

In other words, our manufacturing companies ‘know much more than they know’. Our new ICMR project now gives us the opportunity to unleash the power of this know-how and to communicate it to all our manufacturing enterprises, large and small.

As said – an idea really doesn’t care who owns it: Performance metrics and continuous improvement techniques such as Six Sigma, Kaizen, Can-Ban, OTIF, OEE and many others are available for successful translation into businesses at any time. Ceramicx, of course, is a founding member of the ICMR.

In particular we feel we have a clear role and talents to use helping bring the message to small to medium enterprises (SMEs); helping them to understand and apply the power of ideas; some of which will play out in quite a different way to the process in larger enterprises.

It’s a two way street: SMEs are more than capable of generating original first principles and great new ideas that can be of valuable worth to larger organisations. After all, everything started out small once.

Our new ICMR now gives our manufacturers a dedicated place in which to communicate and share the power of ideas to a point of optimum use and take-up. At Ceramicx – the infrared heat consultants – we are committed to advancing this work. Indeed, we look forward to seeing it catch fire over the coming months.

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Opening up Fundamentals

November 29, 2011 by Cathal Wilson

Here at Ceramicx we are again looking to publishing our fifth issue of HeatWorks magazine. The enthusiasm for the publication – inside and outside the company remains as keen as ever and will be reflected in the dozen or so articles being lined up for the new contents.

Key among the forthcoming pieces is a contribution written by Dr Tony Robinson, based at Trinity College, Dublin.

Tony’s article will pick up the baton in relation to the fundamentals of infrared heating technology. We always aim to enhance the commercial and technical pieces in the magazine with some more general and educational material on the vast and untapped potential within IR heating.

Our last issue of HeatWorks, for example, included an article that described and discussed the beneficial effects of IR heating on the human body.

In our next issue, Tony will look at the fundamental science and behaviour of IR heating in 3D space. His department at Trinity is doing great measurement and prediction work in that area. It is my hope that this research at Trinity will have profound implications for the way we think and plan our comfort and heating – specifically in the way we design and build heating systems for homes, shops, factories, offices and the built environment: Infrared heating is extremely accurate in the way it can target particular zones and spaces. And a relatively small input of IR heating in the right zone of a building can deliver a very large payback in terms of overall saved energy cost.

In truth, the infant science of infrared heating needs many more champions such as Tony Robinson in order to make explicit and realise the benefits of the technology. HeatWorks magazine, in its own way, is doing its bit.

And I simply encourage all IR practitioners to step forward and share with us your best articles and views for consideration throughout our publishing schedule next year. With the right communications campaigns we can all work for IR development and growth together.

It would be a poor show indeed if Ceramicx itself were unable to walk this talk.  It therefore gives me great pleasure to be allowed the opportunity to be lecturing at Trinity College this Thursday in order to share the IR industrial perspective and to communicate the best of our IR know how to the engineering student audience.

For all interested I will this week be delivering an open lecture on the subject of Ceramic Infrared Emitter Production. The lecture will take place on Thursday December 01 2011: 15:00, Parsons Building Seminar Room 2, Trinity College Dublin. I hope to see you there!

Posted in ceramic heaters, ceramicx, infrared heaters, Infrared Heating, Infrared Heating Experts, Infrared Heating Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment