Ceramicx infrared heating products are used in a wide range of applications across industry, hospitality and other sectors. As a result, our marketplaces include the following sample of diverse sectors where 'heat' is an integral part of achieving objectives:

• Aviation
• Automotive
• Comfort Heating
• Oil
• Medical
• Packaging
• Printing
• White Goods
• Concrete

Ceramicx has had involvement in the aviation industry on several occasions. The company has helped develop equipment for forming cockpits for jet planes.

The company is also just beginning a project with Loughborough University to develop a heating system to form cowlings for Jet engines. This will be published as part of an extensive case study at a later date.

The automotive industry is a massive consumer of plastic and thermoformed goods and as a result Ceramicx has spent a great deal of time developing systems, solutions and selling products into this industry. Ceramicx has been involved with the manufacture and shaping of carpets for cars, the thermoforming of the dashboard and door panels and the manufacture and application of the liners to those panels‚ also making odometers which is very specialist work, paint drying and windscreen removal.
The windscreen removal project was carried out as part of a European FP6 project with Fiat, Saint Gobain, Axo Nobel and other partners. The project focussed on the removal of windscreens in one piece from cars at the end of life. This was achieved by activating microspheres on the poly-urethane glue with infrared through the windscreen. The microspheres once activated grow to 200 times their original size separating and allowing the windscreen to pop out at 70degC.

The smoking ban in Ireland provided an opportunity for Ceramicx to step into the outdoor heating market. The company developed an outdoor heating product with ceramic long wave heaters and an IPX4 water ingress rating. The company has had great success with these infrared heaters replacing the short wave units and the gas units. Ceramicx is currently taking the next step in the development of comfort heating products developing a range of aesthetically pleasing units for use in homes and outdoor heating. These products will be launched in the latter part of 2010. The company is also undertaking bulb development and establishing a brand Creature Comfort IR which will be launched in the US in September.

• Comfort IR
• Creature Comfort IR
• Pubsun

The oil industry is one that Ceramicx has ventured into in recent years. We have in the past been involved in a project looking at combining microwave and infrared in order to achieve the cleaning of oil laced sands from Crude oil tanks - a great deal of which is stock-piled around the world.

• Oil Sands Cleaning
• Pipe Work

This is a field in which Ceramicx has carried out a great deal of exploration: Ceramicx has manufactured heaters for centrifuges to put the energy in and separate blood platelets as well as manufacturing tens of thousands of heaters for use in the sauna cabin industry. Again there have been recent healthcare projects that have indicated that infrared has a neutralising effect on bugs and viruses. If you speak to a nurse from paediatric wards from 30 years ago you will be told that when the incubators for children were cleaned out, they were placed outside in the sunshine for a number of hours afterward. It was clearly recognised then that the infrared and UV from the sun killed the viruses and bugs that were present. Ceramicx has a huge number of ideas and avenues to explore in relation to the use of infrared in a number of fields.

• Asthma Suffers
• Bed Bugs
• Centrifuge
• MRSA Infrared / Silver
• Saunas

Packaging and thermoforming are the primary markets for Ceramicx and where the company's principal know-how lies. The company develops complete systems with full control on a regular basis for this market. The company spends a lot their time retrofitting older machines. The company has completed retrofitting jobs where they have achieved up to 40% energy savings and our clients have achieved payback for the retrofit within 6 months on energy savings alone. There are two types of thermoforming of course and this includes both in-line and cut-sheet. Ceramicx has extensive experience in both of these areas and has made thermoforming more profitable for a huge range customers

• Inside Liner of Fridge
• Range of Packaging
• Butter Tubs
• Biscuit Cartons

The printing industry has been a significantly improving market for Ceramicx Ireland over the last couple of years. The primary market for this industry is in China. Ceramicx supplies Hewlett Packard (HP) amongst others with heaters for use in printers and major ink dryers in the printing industry.

Ceramicx has in the past developed 14 Patents for Applica - an US-based white goods company. Seven of these are listed above. Ceramicx has developed a good deal of proprietary know-how in infrared cooking technology during the course of this contract. This knowledge has been retained by Ceramicx for use in industrial cooking. Significant energy saving cooking appliances is a promise for the future. The Ceramicx toasteroven has been launched in the US and Ceramicx will be also be launching a new product in the cooking area during the course of this year.

• Infrared Toaster Oven
• Infrared Hair Straightner
• Infrared Coffee Maker
• Infrared Cooker
• Infrared Vegetable Steamer
• Infrared Iron
• Infrared Perfect Steak Cooker

Ceramicx along with our German distributor Freek and BM Anlagenbauhas have developed some leading edge production processes for the concrete industry. The initial project involved pre and post infrared heating around the application of a sprayed polymer onto concrete and stone, creating a hard wearing silk-like finish often referred to as the ‘wet-effect’. As well as a strong visual appeal, guarding against food, oil and chemical contaminations it extends product life. The success of this project has led to work with other concrete companies, proving the value of infrared to yet another industry.

Ceramicx has developed infrared applications engineering solutions in too many industries to name them all. We intend to shortly publicise some material in boiler making; brick making and lacquering of timber.