Blog

Over the summer, we’ve all had to navigate our way through COVID lockdowns, shutdowns, and restrictions, but as the autumn rolls around, things are changing. More of us are getting back to work and we’re all getting out and about again. But with a change in the season comes the need for heat – inside and out. And Ceramicx infrared technology continues to keep customers and workers warm.

As leading manufacturers of infrared ceramic and quartz heating products, we supply to businesses in over 80 countries around the world, building progressive relationships with many of them. One example has seen Ceramicx work with Herschel Infrared on a contract manufacturing basis. Both ceramic and quartz elements from our range go into specific housings which we manufacture for many of their comfort heating products.

Going through the COVID phase, we’ve seen the situation in workplaces and public areas change dramatically. As a result, Herschel’s heaters, together with our infrared elements, are playing a bigger role as the temperature steadily starts to drop.

The advantage of infrared

New COVID guidelines advise on using air ventilation systems in every building. But if one isn’t in place, there should be adequate ventilation from other sources – and that usually means opening windows, whatever the weather or temperature. While this is generally OK in warmer weather, it’s not comfortable as we go into the cooler part of the year.

But infrared is an ideal method of providing heat inside, and its simplicity means targeted heat can be supplied to specific areas effectively and efficiently. So rooms, surfaces, and people can all be heated without having to warm the surrounding air. And that’s a huge advantage over using traditional convected heat which would cost more and/or might be lost through open windows.

Increased outdoor use

While Herschel’s comfort heaters can be used in indoor commercial or public environments – overcoming any issues of traditional ‘difficult to install or expensive to run’ heating methods – they’re also used to great effect in outdoor environments too. And while businesses in almost every sector are adapting to changing COVID guidelines for their staff and customers, it’s the hospitality industry that’s seen more change than most.

Being in the fresh air helps lessen the spread of the COVID virus, so over the summer restaurants and bars opened their doors to accommodate more customers outside. Providing quicker, greener, and more energy-efficient warmth for outdoor drinking and dining, the use of infrared has increased with outdoor heaters giving a more effective way to keep customers happy – and spending more.

Infrared for every industry

Whether Herschel’s heaters are being used inside a factory or warehouse, in indoor public spaces or offices, or out in the open air, it’s the Ceramicx infrared heating elements used inside them that are perfectly matched to suit the requirement of the heater and its environment.

Herschel heaters such as the Pulsar, with its sleek and contemporary style for indoor rooms and offices, and the Aspect, with its more conventional design for indoor or covered outdoor use, both use our zero light-emitting, ceramic infrared elements. While Vulcan models, perfectly suited to heat larger, industrial warehouses or factories, use our Quartz Tungsten or Halogen tube emitters.

As more businesses adopt this method of heating, both indoors and out, they’re already seeing the cost-effective and energy-efficient benefits in infrared heat for both staff and customers. Not only that, but it highlights that our range of Ceramicx infrared elements and components really can be used for every industry, in more ways than one.

For more information on the entire range of comfort heaters, to buy direct, or to discuss your own requirements, visit the Herschel Infrared website.

In our previous blog & video we outlined the initial set of packaging changes we made to be as eco-friendly as possible without compromising on quality or protection. These included:

1.) Calling time on polystyrene

2.) Water-based adhesive packing tape

3.) Clearer branding and handling instructions

Now that these changes are in circulation, we are delighted to say we were able to make further improvements: These include:

4.) Reduced Box Height

With the reduced depth of packaging needed to safely deliver our products, we were able to reduce the box height by 24mm in height.

5.) From Waste to Packing material

Another procedure we’ve added to our packing process is the ability to use our own waste cardboard and recycle it in-house. By investing in a simple perforating machine, each sheet of excess cardboard can now be used as padding mats or padded filling inside every shipping box.

We can also use it to give additional, shock-absorbing protection to heavy, larger, or more fragile products. By adjusting the cushioning volume of the cardboard to suit, we can ensure maximum product safety and security during the shipping journey.

The Future

The changes have been received positively by our customers so far. It’s important for Ceramicx to always be improving our products and how they are delivered all around the world. We hope our customers go on to re-use or re-purpose as much of the packaging as they can, continuing the circular economy routine we have adapted.

Showing at Booth 2525 GSAE displayed Ceramic, Quartz and Quartz tungsten / Quartz Halogen on their stand along with the Ceramicx Portable Test Stand. Videos, posters and infographic’s showed some of the many infrared projects GSAE and Ceramicx have completed recently. Taking place at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, the expo aims to meet the needs of the market in China, a demand that is ever increasing.

GSAE & Ceramicx Composite Heating Systems

Ceramicx and GSAE have developed and completed a number of composite curing machines in the past 2 years. Appropriate for many composite forming and curing processes a custom-designed composite oven can be developed to meet your own specifications and integration requirements. Eliminating slow and expensive autoclaves and focusing on OOA composites, as well as offering solutions for in-line vacuum forming and specialist composite thermoforming processes.

Every material type has unique absorption characteristics which can also vary depending on colour and thickness. Using the Portable Infrared Test Stand, any composite material can quickly be tested under each infrared heating type in order to determine which wavelength band provides optimal results.

Built for superior durability and reliability, an infrared composite oven will give you a complete and specialist composite heating solution. All infrared and system parameters are adjusted for optimum energy efficiency, precision temperature control, and even heat distribution through the thickness of material, a key area where we’ve completed extensive research and development.

The Expo is the grand annual event for one of China’s biggest composite manufacturers, Composites Group Corporation Ltd (CCGC). CCGC is one of the top three turbine blade manufacturers in China, they mainly specialize in the manufacture and marketing of composites, glass, glass fiber, ceramics and other non-metal material products. CCGC also owns China’s biggest FRP pipe & tank production base.

The exhibitors are mainly composite material producers, product producers and machine producers. Due to Covid-19, visitors were down about 30% to previous years. Upon entering the exhibition, visitor names were recorded. Most of the exhibition visitors came from the Yangzte river delta area with almost no international visitors.

 

If you have a composite material you would like to test or find out more about, please email [email protected]

Among all the infrared radiant oven and heat systems Ceramicx produces, one of the most versatile is the clamshell oven. From their capability of producing 360° uniform heat across a wide range of low or high temperatures to their portable or large-scale, integrated size attributes, there’s big potential in using clamshell ovens as effective utilisation of infrared.

360° temperature control

With a clamshell temperature range capable of running from ∼200°C up to ∼1560°C, it’s that range that’s important in achieving the consistency of energy and heat transfer needed for any drying and curing applications – and how it can be created.

Thanks to the 360° circular construction of a clamshell oven and its ability to have either a top or side lift opening, it means the entire surface area of your material can be heated accurately – and evenly. With the infrared heat being radiated onto the material from all angles, the design provides an equal level of heat which can be achieved more consistently to create a homogeneity of even energy from both sides.

The variation of the infrared heating element that can be used to heat your materials is also accommodated. Your material can be suited to heat absorption from ceramic elements, the medium intensity of quartz heaters, or the high-intensity heat of halogen elements. Described and tested in Ceramicx, we’re able to measure the value of heat flux, plus material absorption.

The design advantage

Aside from the versatility of heat options, clamshell ovens also give you the chance to control the surrounding environment in which the radiant heat from each element is applied. Through horizontal or vertical mounting, you can achieve this in any of three ways.

Firstly, you could create an atmosphere of inert gasses helping to reduce oxidisation. Secondly, if your material is producing a gas output, further convective air can be pushed through the system. Thirdly, the possibility of creating a vent in the clamshell arrangement so you can deal with any gasses generated. There’s also the possibility that clamshells can be used in a vacuum environment to increase the performance level of the radiant heat by up to 30%.

So with the significant advantages that come with the circumferential design of 360° radiant heat, the clamshell has enormous potential in different areas that value optimisation of the heatwork process.

The Ceramicx heat solution

With so many ways in which radiation can be applied to create the necessary heatwork, the mechanical construction of any clamshell oven is always dependent on the industrial application used for each process. And Ceramicx has designed and built clamshell ovens for every application and purpose.

From smaller, portable ovens – using the tiniest ID diameter which could be down to less than a 30mm internal diameter for the fabric or tube that needs to go through the heatwork process – to larger ovens for the purpose of desiccating or destroying medical waste. Greater internal access for more control of the product for maintenance purposes is also a key feature with clamshell ovens.

Whatever your process or application, infrared clamshell ovens can provide the temperature-controlled, precision, and uniform heat you need. By talking with us here at Ceramicx, we can advise you on how to use any of these situations to your advantage and use best practice to design and build a custom industrial clamshell oven to your own specifications and requirements.

Call our technical team today on +353 28 37510 or email on [email protected].

We’ll be more than happy to discuss a solution that works for you and answer your questions.

Ceramicx Annual shut down will take place from July 31^st to August 18^th, 2020.

Unlike other years our maintenance programme this year will have taken place during July prior to shut down but keeping Covid-19 prevention in mind we are taking measures to have our full factory and offices deep cleaned and vacated for these two weeks. There will be no operation on site during this time except for security.

We apologise in advance for any inconvenience, we are doing our best to secure uninterrupted supply to our valued customers for the months ahead. Please continue to email us your queries and orders and we will respond immediately on our return. Again, we apologise for any delay this may cause.

Just over a year ago Ceramicx welcomed the team from Szinimpex to Ireland for a visit. – See Blog

Based in Kecskemét, Szinimpex began selling our products in 2016 and made it their mission to continue to grow sales of our products in Hungary and surrounding countries. Since their visit we have seen increased product orders and enquires. There has been an increase in engineering enquires also in the past year from large international companies with offices in Hungary.

Szinimpex have been working on upgrading their current website https://futoszalak.hu/ and doing the translation for a new site… (drum roll)

 

Szinimpex are pleased to have reached a new milestone last week as they launched https://ceramicx.hu/

Based on the same template ceramicx.com but it will be run by the team in Hungary keeping you updated with all things infrared in Hungary.

We wish them the best with the site and look forward to the next year of business with Szinimpex.

With a global distribution network and customers all around the world, the safe shipping of our range of infrared heating components is a key process in Ceramicx’ operations. Of course, this involves a large amount of packaging, so we’ve made a series of small changes to our packaging materials so we can be as eco-friendly as possible without compromising on quality or protection.

 

Our green new deal

In shipping almost 7,000 boxes of infrared elements and components every year, each containing anywhere up to 60 individual packages, it means we depend on strong and durable packaging to ensure their safe delivery, wherever their destination is in the world. To help us lessen our environmental impact and improve our packaging overall, here are a few of the investments we’ve made to help us go greener and better.

 

1). Calling time on polystyrene

In all our shipping box packaging, we’ve relied heavily on the use of polystyrene as a top and base layer, as well as a packing void filler for maximum protection. Based on our volume of shipping boxes, we can use around 12,000 sheets of 600 x 400 x 18 mm (approx.) of expanded polystyrene a year for all packaging.

While polystyrene is effective, it’s also largely non-biodegradable and takes many decades to decompose effectively, if at all. Therefore, the majority of it ends up in landfill after use. But, given its weight and composition, it also causes pollution as it finds its way into oceans and rivers, while its production is also a huge contributor to global warming.

So we’ve called time on polystyrene and eliminated it from our processes for good. As a replacement, we now use reinforced card for all top and base packing layers, and have moved to starch-based void fill ‘peanuts’ which are fully biodegradable and even dissolvable in water.

 

2.) Water-based adhesive packing tape

Another small but significant change has been a move to new packaging tape with water-based adhesive. Featuring our new logo, this new tape uses an environmentally-friendly formula for its glue that contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so it’s not harmful to people or the environment.

Matching the high standards of our old tape, this type of adhesive gives us the strong level of tack we need as well as excellent flexibility and heat and water resistance, so every shipping package remains tightly closed and secure on its journey.

 

3). Clearer branding and handling instructions

This isn’t so much a ‘green’ initiative, more just a concerted effort to tie in with our recent Ceramicx rebrand. All our new outer shipping boxes (100% recyclable reinforced cardboard) now feature all-new Ceramicx branding, as well as clear handling instructions using the international packing symbols for ‘handle with care’ and ‘this way up’.

We’ve also taken the opportunity to rebrand and refresh the packing boxes for all our infrared elements and components as well. Again featuring our new logo, they also show clear and easy to read information on their contents, such as naming and product codes.

 

Small changes for a global view

While all our packaging can now be recycled or repurposed effectively, we’ve also sought to ensure as much of it as possible is sourced from Ireland in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.

As a global business, it’s important for Ceramicx to be as green as possible in every aspect of our production and delivery. We’re proud of the changes we’ve made so far and we’ll continue to look for new ways to lessen our carbon footprint and be responsible in this climate emergency.

Due to Ceramicx being classified as an essential service we have been taking precautions while remaining open such as:

• Hand Sanitiser
• Temperature Monitoring
• Face Masks
• Physical Distancing
• Dividing Screens
• No Visitors

We supply heaters to medical and food packaging supply companies, among others. We have been using various multimedia to remind and reinforce the importance of these measures, so we continue to remain operational.

 

Ceramicx are pleased to announce we are returning to work today Tuesday April 14th.

We are classified as an essential service because we supply heaters to medical and food packaging supply companies that need to manufacture their product.

We will process your orders as soon as we can and get product shipped.

The health and safety of our colleagues and customers remains our top priority and we will continue to take all appropriate actions and follow government advice.

 

Please take care.

Frank Wilson, Managing Director.