EPS President Ken Klein’s article discussing tips and tools for choosing the right oven was featured this month in Process Heating Magazine, a well known resource for manufacturing engineers who use heat processing equipment and supplies, including product, design and plant engineers.

The article focuses on not only what to look for, but also what to avoid when choosing an industrial oven that will be designed specifically for the application. Customers with clear requirements, Ken points out, are the easiest to understand and to provide the proper oven for their needs:

“Oven building can be a challenging enterprise, especially where large industrial ovens are concerned.”

Included in Ken’s list of items to think about? Crucial items like airflow and rate of rise rank high on the list. These will influence things like efficiency and recovery time down the road.

EPS Ovens has been providing industrial and pharmaceutical oven solutions since 1978, and now offers its own line of batch and continuous ovens for industrial applications. Learn more about our custom industrial ovens, including EPS batch curing ovens, industrial heat treat ovens, industrial drying ovens, composite curing ovens and more.

Airflow – In real estate, the three primary considerations are location, location and location. For a large forced convection oven the primary considerations, as I see it, are airflow, airflow and airflow. Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? But airflow is going to determine a number of things, like how efficiently you will heat your load, how fast you will recover after a door open if you will be taking parts in and out, and the temperature uniformity you can expect. And yes – I have chatted with prospective customers who are entertaining quotes from other builders for their standard horizontal-in-from-the-side-vertical-return-to-the-ceiling airflow patterns, when as it turns out their load would block vertical airflow. Likewise I’ve seen instances of a customer looking at horizontal side-to-side quotes when they will stand large panels on end that will block the flow. Give this some thought up front—it will save you a lot of nightmares downstream.

Rate of Rise – How fast do you want to get to temperature? It’s one thing to say you want to get there in 45 minutes if you are heating a load that doesn’t weigh much. Heating up a 40,000 lb. weldment is another story. Be realistic, and depending on the weight and nature of your load the air temperature may get there long before the core of your product.

Next up: Ken talks about the difference between accuracy and uniformity and the challenges of control.

As this exciting time in solar energy continues to evolve, EPS ovens is matching the excitement by offering Continuous and Batch ovens for Solar Panel Curing.  Our latest technology in computer based control for solar panel curing ovens offers the versatility to meet your requirements for solar panel manufacturing, as we have for multiple customers to date.

We can work with you quickly to provide a comprehensive proposal as we all move forward with this burgeoning solar power technology .

Send us your requirements here, and we will provide you with a complete, customized proposal.