ISSUE 7
SEPTEMBER 2012
The saw always “needs sharpening
THE NATURE OF INFRARED HEATING
CERAMICX IN CHINA
HETRONIK CONTROL SYSTEMS
CHINA
SOUTH AFRICA
USA
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HeatWorks Variety - and understanding Once again we have a varied IR based menu for you in this 7th edition of HeatWorks magazine. I hope that you find something to pique your interest in these pages. I am personally very excited about the pioneering work being done by Trinity College Dublin on IR heating and the human thermoregulatory system (please see pages 1 to 4). There's a very significant body of knowledge building up there - and Ceramicx intends to be a part of it for many years to come. Further afield it’s great to see the IR heating expansion taking place in the USA thanks to the efforts and energy behind the WECO/Ceramicx partnership. WECO had a very successful NPE plastics exhibition in Orlando – both in terms of sales and also in attracting new and capable associates in the US. Brett Wehner, WECO owner is succeeding in patiently assembling quality players; in service, consulting, distribution – and all with the same values as ourselves. All will play a part in growing the Ceramicx/WECO marketplace throughout North America. In many ways, the US is still the Number 1 Ceramicx market and I am very much looking forward to my itinerary there this Autumn. Speaking of worldwide, the news just in is that Ceramicx has attained an audited standard of World Class manufacturer. Less than 1% of small to medium business achieve this rating and we are delighted with the accolade. We will tell you more of the ins and outs in the next issue of HeatWorks magazine.
Contents Page 1
IR Heating for Humans Trinity College Dublin on the nature of Infrared Radiant Heating
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Dispatches Ken Braney reports on the SPE 2012 European Thermoforming Conference
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Ceramicx in South Africa
Distributors, ABSO look at their home market
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A Man - and a Mission Dr Lynch - The Co-ordinator
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Infrared USA Weco's growing Network Hetronik - Process Control
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Champions of IR Science Ceramicx in China
Also within these pages - and as part of our Chinaplas report - you will find my thoughts on the urgent need to update the world of comparative IR heat testing. For too long now, IR heating has been seen as a 'black art' - by its practitioners and by its customers. That has to change and will. Customers, especially in China, where quality is truly world-class, will no longer tolerate out-of-the-box supply and solutions.
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At Ceramicx we continue to do our part to develop a common platform and a common and clear language and science for IR heating science and technology. Our world has an increased need for IR heating solutions and for supply chain effectiveness. Those of us in IR heating owe it to ourselves and to our customers to straighten issues out and make the fundamentals of that world as clear and as transparent as possible.
Infrared Engineering Projects of all sizes
In that spirit I encourage you to enjoy what knowhow we have here in HeatWorks magazine and to not hesitate to get in touch with us here at Ceramicx on any aspect of our IR heat technology work.
Blow Moulding Simulation Software -Profile Optimisation and Energy Saving
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Application Engineering
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Ceramicx Product Range
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Ceramicx News
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The Ceramicx Team Talk to us today about your infrared needs
HeatWorks Publication manager Cáthál Wilson
cathal.wilson@ceramicx.com
Editorial
Adrian Lunney
adrian@adrianlunneypr.com
Design and Production David Hayward
david.hayward@ceramicx.com
Distribution
Amanda Murphy
amanda.murphy@ceramicx.com
Frank Wilson
Managing Director Ceramicx Ireland
Published by
Ceramicx Ireland Ltd sales@ceramicx.com
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FUNDAMENTALS OF IR HEATING
IR HEATING FOR HUMANS - ALL IN HAND Ceramicx is proud to be associated with the pioneering work of Trinity College Dublin on the nature of Infrared Radiant Heating. In Part 3 of our regular look at humans and IR, HeatWorks magazine takes a look at a new study, conducted by Michelle Tannam under the supervision of Dr Tony Robinson at Trinity College Dublin. In our view, this research has broken new ground in regard to the complex nature of the human thermoregulatory response to IR radiant heating. The Trinity research findings confirm a number of ideas found in the practical work at Ceramicx and effectively open the door to new IR applications in a number of areas, in comfort heating and in heating solutions for the built environment.
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Human skin is close to being a perfect blackbody, with an emissivity value of approximately 0.98
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Typical human body temperatures
and blackbodies. 'Human skin', the Trinity Study notes, 'is close to being a perfect blackbody, with an emissivity value of approximately 0.98. It acts as a heat sink when the body is hot, and an insulator when the body is cold.' How blood flow heats the body
When heat is applied to the human body its regulatory system springs into action in order to ensure that the core body temperature is maintained at about 37°C. The body uses the principle of vasodilation in order to redistribute the incoming energy and stay comfortable. Vasodilation smooths the muscle tissue of the blood vessels in the skin, causing the blood vessels to vasodilate (increase in diameter). Infrared heating principles are based on a number of factors, including emissivity, intensity, energy propagation
The Trinity Study set out to determine the differences in effect between conventional/convective and IR radiant heating on the human body. Conventional space heating systems traditionally heat the air in a space, thus warming the environment and the bodies in it. However, there is much energy waste in the process. Heated air rises and is prone to escape to places - such as the ceiling, walls and outside - where it is not needed.
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temperature increase must come from within the body, i.e. through the process of thermoregulation.'
Convective heating Vs. Radiant heating
IR radiant heating, however, confers many benefits, including the ability to spot heat areas of space without wastage. Electrical energy is converted rapidly; allowing radiant heaters to reach full output in a matter of minutes. The Trinity Study was therefore keen to test the performance of both heat systems against the needs and the performance of the human body. A key finding in the research work at Trinity College was the revelation of the role of the human hands in the human body's thermoregulatory activities. The study made it clear from the analysis of the four human test subjects that the heating behaviour of the body differs widely between individuals. However, the principle of heat regulation through the hands was a key principle and finding. The study noted that 'because the hand area is not directly exposed to a heat source during the IR on Face and IR on hand tests this
At the beginning of many of heating tests at Trinity the coldest areas were easily identified as extremities of the body, i.e.: the hand, nose tip, and foot areas. The initial images from many tests suggest that the test subjects are cold from being exposed to a cold environment, and that at this time the thermoregulatory system has activated its vasoconstriction response in an attempt to conserve heat in the core of the body by reducing blood flow to these areas. During the Warm Room (WR) tests at Trinity the warm air was received by convection both directly to the extremities and also to other areas of the body. As the whole body warms up vasodilation allows excess heat to be moved from the core to other areas of the body in order to regulate the core temperature. Hence the extremities are being heated both directly by the warm air and also by thermoregulation. In contrast to this, the IR tests involved the application of localised heat to the body, for example to areas of the face or hands. The IR heat is received by radiation directly to the areas of the body in the directional path of its waves. In the Trinity tests the other areas of the human subject bodies were in contact with only the cold air in the room. Any heating of areas outside the directional path of the IR heat could only be caused by human thermoregulation alone.
Lab set up to measure effectiveness of radiant heating on humans
The different ways in which the body is heated by warm air and direct IR heat conditions were shown clearly during analysis of the tests which focused on the face area: In the case of the WR test the face slowly heats over the duration of the test, whilst almost the entire temperature increase over the face during the IR on Face test is achieved within the first minute. This is a major difference between IR and warm air heating conditions; the latter requires a longer exposure time to achieve the same effects. Analysis of
Examples of Ceramicx's Comfort IR range
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Map of various tests conducted on different areas of human body.
the IR on face tests also showed that in general the application of IR heat caused the face areas to heat more significantly over the 10min period than during the WR tests For the majority of the human test subjects it was clear that the hand area is used by the body as a favoured region to which heat should be moved for dissipation to the surroundings in both the WR and IR tests. The hands are particularly suited to the dissipation of heat as they have a large surface area and little insulating fat, and in the case of these tests also frequently have low initial temperatures. Where heat dissipation is not possible through the hands the subject becomes discomforted;
The study moved to the following conclusions with regard to the response of the human thermoregulatory system to IR heating ■ Human thermoregulatory behaviour differs with each individual tested, and thus must be dependent on many individual factors. ■ Temperatures across the body become more uniform when the subject is moved from a cold to a warm environment. ■ Exposure of the face to warm air causes a steady rise in temperature over a 10min period. Exposure of the face to IR heat causes a sharp initial temperature rise within the first minutes of the testing period which is followed by a period of very gentle rise or steady state. ■ IR heat from the Ceramicx Edison Screw Bulb directly applied at 0.4m from the face area gives a higher magnitude heating response of the areas in its directional path over a 10min period than the effect of contact with warm air at a similar or slightly lower temperature. Direct IR heating at times causes skin temperatures to rise even above the estimated core temperature, which does not occur during Warm Room testing. ■ The nose and fingertip areas of the body are cut off from blood flow when the body is in a cold environment. For individuals with adequate circulation, these extremities tend to heat by a large magnitude when exposed to a direct heat source or to increased warm blood flow. ■ The human thermoregulatory system has the ability to redistribute IR heat effectively around the body. This is shown by the IR on Face and IR on Hand testing of the hand area, where sizeable temperature increases are recorded within the 10min period despite the fact that the monitored hand is not exposed directly to a heat source. ■ The thermoregulatory response is greater when IR heat is applied to the face area than when it is applied to the hand area. ■ The thermoregulatory system makes use of the large surface
Subject 2 Full Body Test: Thermal images of IR on Face test
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This shows the increase in hand temperature following the application of IR to the subjects face
area and lack of insulating fat in the hand area by using it as a primary means of dissipating heat to the surroundings. ■ In the case of poor circulation to the hand for an individual, the thermoregulatory system has trouble regulating the core temperature by vasodilation. The excess heat is distributed through the entire body in an effort to dissipate heat, and the thermoregulatory system employs the further cooling response of perspiration. ■ The heat flux between the hand and the environment is dependent on the relationship between the temperature of the hand and the temperature of the surroundings, with energy moving from the warmer to the cooler of the two. The study goes on to say that 'it can be concluded that there is much potential for the use of IR heating for thermal comfort applications.’ Infrared heating, for example, 'has the potential to rapidly warm individuals placed in its directional path, and thus could be considered very useful for intermittently used areas.' Human thermal comfort applications require relatively low temperatures to avoid excessive heating. An appropriate range of temperatures can be provided by IR heating for any given requirement by careful choice of heater and installation position. And although skin temperatures have been shown to rise substantially in areas where direct IR heat is applied, the subjective sensation is pleasant. There could therefore be applications in areas such as medicine and healthcare. The human thermoregulatory system has shown the ability to effectively redistribute directly applied IR heat around the body. This means that areas of the body that lie outside the directional path of IR waves can still be heated by thermoregulation The Trinity study mapped significant differences in the four human subjects; highlighting contrasts in blood circulation. It could be argued that therefore one day IR heating could be used as a diagnostic tool in healthcare; to confirm or map poor circulation and other responses in the human body. In terms of further work and the approach and method the study concluded that a further phase of research and testing would include the following improvements: ■ Use of a controlled thermal environment. ■ Ensuring that the initial skin temperatures of the subject are the same or at least very similar in all body areas between
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baseline WR and IR heating tests. ■ Inclusion of skin moisture level analysis. ■ Testing of the application of direct IR heat to further areas of the body, both singly and in combination. ■ Generation of baseline tests at various room temperatures. ■ Testing of IR heat application at various distances from the body. ■ Positioning of the test subject in a sitting or lying down posture. ■ Use of a wall of heaters to apply heat IR to the entire body. ■ Analysis of the impact of the combinational effects of conventional and IR heating when used together in a space. ■ Use of a higher resolution thermal imaging camera to obtain improved image quality of the full body. All in all the success of the Trinity College methodology and the research outcomes means that Ceramicx is gaining a fuller understanding of the science surrounding the engineering and application of its ComfortIR range. Ceramicx will continue to be market leader when it comes to application, engineering and science surrounding the use of Infrared both for Industrial and domestic applications. Ceramicx will be playing a full part with Trinity in further pioneering work and research in the area of Infrared and HeatWorks magazine will hope to report further on the beginnings of a new and exciting project currently in the pipeline before the year-end.
This research was made possible by Enterprise Ireland and the Innovation Voucher Scheme.
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DISPATCHES by Ken Braney Former president of SPE International
VENICE (MESTRE)
8th EUROPEAN THERMOFORMING CONFERENCE 2012 The 2012 SPE European Thermoforming Conference was held in Mestre, a suburb of Venice. Anyone who has either seen photos or visited the magical city of Venice will know that the decision to hold a conference here would ensure a large amount of support from fellow SPE members, as well as newcomers from all over the world. Over 170 attendees packed the conference last April 27-28. Initial estimates suggest that between 40-50 people were new members. The SPE European Thermoforming Division uses a delegate fee system whereby those who sign up to attend the conference become members automatically for two years. Reinhold Plot, Outgoing Chair, opened the conference. Incoming Chair, Daniele Versolato, who was also the Conference Chair, made some introductory remarks. Jim Griffing, SPE President 2012-2013, also made a short speech about how SPE is changing and growing in this difficult marketplace. Griffing emphasized how there are many opportunities for members to learn from the vast amounts of knowledge stored in our SPE libraries of past technical conferences. He also stressed that gatherings such as the SPE European Thermoforming Conference provide excellent networking opportunities, where attendees can share knowledge with a variety of people during sessions and in hallway conversations. This is the type of knowledge that cannot be found on the internet. This sentiment was clearly borne out as there were visitors from many different countries beyond the
borders of Europe, eager to learn about the many aspects of thermoforming. India, Saudi Arabia, USA and Australia were all represented in Mestre. The next speaker was Wim DeVos, SPE’s new CEO. Wim had a very nasty accident the weekend before the conference when he fell from his racing bike and broke his collarbone. We were not sure if he was going to make it to the conference, but fortunately for us he was able to speak, though he did not to stay for the whole event. As a seasoned, global CEO at Vitalo, Wim has a great deal of experience in working with the wide cultural differences in plants around the world. His presentation focused on what to expect when you set up a subsidiary plant in an emerging market, including challenges with hiring and retaining the best employees. Wim gave an example of a typical situation in China. When New Year comes, all of the workers go home to their native village or town. There could be 3 or 4 or even 5 days travel away from the plant. At the end of the holiday period, up to 40% of the workers never return so the management of the plant should always have new staff trained to take those newly-vacated positions. We then had a presentation from the Director General of the British Plastics Federation who discussed the future markets for plastics. In the afternoon of the first day there were workshops on thick gauge thermoforming and sponsor presentations on developments in thin gauge forming. Friday’s sessions included the parts competition. These were judged and various awards were made. The winning entries included a side door/window for a new car design, an armchair whose base had been made via twin sheet, while a third was a dentist’s mouthwash stand, again made out of twin sheet plastic. The Gala dinner was a spectacular event. The conference hotel was about 40 minutes by water taxi from the Grand Canal in Venice. SPE ETD organised two very large water buses holding up to 100 people each. The conference was a great success and everyone is looking forward to the next one in 2014 when it is expected to be in Prague.
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ABSO CERAMICX IN SOUTH AFRICA - THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
HeatWorks magazine has great pleasure in talking to Damian Bell, part of family company Abso Industries; based in Cape Town, South Africa and providing great heat technology and service to that part of the world. spread and embraced both staff and customers alike. Another Abso motto - "it’s not so much the solution to the problem, but how we respond to it that counts."
Abso Industries cc Abso Industries was birthed in 1992, by owner and managing member Robert Ivor Bell Jnr or as he would like to be called, Bobby. Bobby set out, not only to be a thorn in the side of the competition, but more importantly provide for his family and the needs of his customers in an ever changing market. Back then many parts of South Africa could still be described as a developing country.
Abso now specialises in domestic and industrial heating and control. The company offers complete solutions in this field. This includes product design, development and manufacture. Abso's in-house engineering facilities ensure quality products at competitive prices. This is backed by their exceptional service motto, “If we don’t help the customer someone else will “ Abso’s range of products includes, Thermocouples, Temperature controllers, Band Heaters, Cartridge Heaters, Tubular sheathed elements, Furnace strip and spiral elements, Thermostats, Heat tracing tapes and many more. Abso's range is constantly changing and expanding and they also offer full on site evaluation of heating needs and solutions to problems.
After entering the market with a bang and becoming a competitive force to be reckoned with, like any company, Abso then experienced some pains of growth. In 1998, for example, intense competition led to Abso facing the closure of one of its manufacturing plants.
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If we don't help the customer someone else will
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At the 11th hour Bobby Bell jumped on a plane and began an innovative programme of sourcing various other suppliers, both abroad and locally. Matters went down to the wire and just when it seemed that the doors might have to close Abso Industries was back in business. The episode is often used to remind the business of Bobby’s and Abso’s nevergive-up attitude; an attitude that has
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Frank Wilson, Ceramicx Ireland. Damien Bell, Abso Industries. Cáthál Wilson, Ceramicx Ireland. During Damien's week long visit to Ceramicx to learn about Infrared and sample the delights of West Cork.
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Markets that Abso services vary and include the following. ■ Plastics Industry ■ Food Processing Industry ■ Catering Equipment Manufacturers ■ Chemical processing Industry ■ Refrigeration Equipment Industry
Innovative solutions One of Abso’s innovative achievements thus far includes the design and manufacture of in-line heat exchangers for the air conditioning of the new Cape Town soccer stadium that successfully hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The Ceramicx connection Abso has been doing business with Ceramicx Ireland for many years. ABSO supplies a range of Ceramicx products such as the Ceramic FTE Range to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a quality product at a competitive price. Ceramicx FTE products are now well known in South Africa. Due to global change, both climatic and economic, it was time to bring Ceramicx and its heat technology to South Africa on a larger scale, and especially regarding infra-red applications engineering. According to Damian, this would be a first for Abso. It also presented a challenge, due to our limited knowledge and lack of experience in
Left Cape Town Stadium Right Abso premises Cape Town
Abso were also recently approached by a fish processing and packaging company who were experiencing problems with one of their large conveyor fryers. A serious problem since this specific customer was not able to achieve their production goals. They successfully identified the key problem areas, and then designed and supplied a suitable product to match. The customer successfully reached their production target and then went on to better it. To date, that company is still running without complications and without one failure. This kind of heat work consultancy followed by technology is typical of the Abso approach to the market and one of their main reasons for winning business.
Janine at reception in Abso
the applications engineering department. We accordingly arranged a trip to the Ceramicx factory in February 2012. At first hand we experienced Frank Wilson blowing our minds with Infra-red knowledge and experience! We have only just started the ball rolling, but are already able to identify areas where we are able to apply the knowledge we now have with regard to IR applications engineering. It's a start and it is growing. We have our Industrial trade show coming up in June 2013 and, with a couple of key wins under our belt, we are looking forward to launching and embedding Ceramicx into the significant applications engineering market throughout South Africa.
St Patricks Day Abso style
Soldering station number 3
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AAMAN - AND A MISSION Dr Andrew Lynch has been appointed by Ireland's two new manufacturing bodies, ICMR ( Irish Centre for Manufacturing Research ) and I2E2 ( Innovation for Ireland’s Energy Efficiency ), to be the coordinator for issues and interests in small to medium enterprises (SMEs)
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Large companies may grab the daily headlines but SME businesses generally make up the backbone of any country's productivity and GDP.
Large companies may grab the daily headlines but SME businesses generally make up the backbone of any country's productivity and GDP. Andrew's SME coordinating role is therefore extremely important. Ceramicx has played a full part in the formation of these important bodies (reporting on them in Issue 3) And HeatWorks magazine is delighted to grab the opportunity to talk to Andrew this month about the positive opportunities he sees in the months ahead. 'In truth and although there is plenty of local knowhow and other factors to apply, the SME work we are doing here in Ireland involves the same universal fundamentals and principles for SME businesses and manufacturers everywhere,' says Andrew.
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... a great reservoir of people resources, native IP, computing & web know-how; greenfield site build and best working practices
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'As we well know, manufacturing and best industrial practice throughout the world is levelling up everywhere. The BRIC economies of China, India, Russia, Brazil and others are fast gaining ground and the lessons of quality-based production methods have not been lost on them,' he adds.
'However, and by any standard Ireland continues to push hard in its global manufacturing competitiveness,' he adds. 'We remain the location of choice for many progressive manufacturers in Europe, with a great reservoir of people resources, native IP, computing and web know-how; greenfield site build and best working practices. The Government-led ICMR and I2E2 have put a further spring into the step of that work, so that we remain Europe's premier manufacturing location.'
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Dr. Andrew Lynch andrew@andona.ie +353 87 2077869
Currently, the juggernauts in world economies are constantly colliding on issues of currency; overproduction and overtrading. It could now be argued that the most successful trading nations are those that can show the most creative, strongest and most versatile SME sectors. SMEs by definition has more ability to flex, make quicker decisions, change direction, and adapt more profitably. Germany, for one, has based much of its economic success on a substantial SME sector. It has a clear lead in that regard - and Ireland hopes to come up fast. Andrew says that 'my job is to ensure that SMEs based in Ireland remain ahead of the curve and reap the full advantage of all the manufacturing and industrial know-how available to them through the ICMR and I2E2 networks; in applied research and effective work methods; in energy saving and in other techniques of effective production. A typical working month for Andrew might, for example, include a number of morning liaison meetings. 'Many of these will involve working with the core research groups to get technical updates on progress being achieved with any given current project.' He adds that 'these sessions can extend to whole day meetings, especially if there is a serious ‘gate’ delivery being delivered into an open mic; ie a phone conference between all of the project partners.' And, as problems and opportunities are unearthed in the varied projects generated by ICMR and I2E2, then there may be an opportunity to include SME partners to solve or deliver particular solutions. An important part of Andrew's job is to constantly improve the outreach of the ICMR and I2E2 organisations - both on request and through a 'feet on the street' approach. 'Match-making SMEs is a
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very big part of my role,' he says 'and I am continually looking for leading-edge SME manufacturers who will make the best job of the opportunities on offer from the centre. As the communications work of the ICMR and I2E2 steps up - and as the profile gets better known - we shall be hoping to increase the flow of inward enquiries from SMEs.' Once a suitable SME player has come forward or been identified Andrew's preliminary work then involves carrying out due diligence assessments on prospective companies. The next part of the process involves him visiting with them 'and then going through the various structures and projects available at the new ICMR/I2E2 Centres and the opportunities that may exist for this particular SME. This conversation can then move onto the technical detail involved, the legal and commercial requirements and indeed the interface between the RPO - Research Providing Organization. These latter may be leading Universities and/or technical institutes.' Afternoon ICMR/I2E2 work may consist in project drafting and scoping; 'of detailing a project in a format that the RPO and the funding agencies are familiar with.' The various funding agencies will include: Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Invest NI. The funding mechanisms can typically include innovation partnerships, industry led research projects, commercialisation funds and cross border mechanisms.
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The saw always needs sharpening
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A series of various SME projects to the centre are presented to the Boards every six weeks. These presentations must always include the partners, objectives, funding models and research outputs and these must all be arranged and aligned to the Centres objectives and to the criteria for success.
Once SME projects have been approved they then need managing, in order to ensure that all objectives are met - both from the Centre perspectives and also from the perspective of Government. This process involves regular meetings and liaising with the core centre management. Over and above that, the general SME interactions with the ICMR and I2E2 centres are also Andrew Lynch's responsibility: 'It is extremely important to ensure that all SME concerns are voiced with the new Centres and that they are dealt with effectively. The SME sector needs to ensure that it is getting the full benefit of membership and that the objectives of the Centre are being added to by all partners.' Andrew Lynch's PhD was obtained in the area of SME business management and his interest carries on. 'Some of my work involves carrying out further research on decision making in SMEs, specifically in the area of cognition and computer interface development.' This ongoing research activity also feeds Andrew's own successful management consultancy business. This currently includes a variety of challenges, mostly in the areas of change management; grant aid facilitation and standard implementation of best working practices. 'The saw always need sharpening,' says Andrew client work in manufacturing improvement keeps the real SME world and also helps to ensure that experience are continually current and relevant ICMR/I2E2 mission.' Contact details: Andrew Lynch +353 87 2077869
'One-on-one me active in my skills and for my main
1. Widen the Focus Too many SME companies focus on one product or suite of products. Most SME start ups are based on a single opportunity It's very easy to get too comfortable in that environment You need to get into your own product and to get as close to the end customer as possible Don’t be afraid to form alliances with companies in a similar space to you Use your resources to become knowledge leaders in their sector What universities are doing good work in your area? What funding mechanisms are available? Can these get further good people into your company? 2. Think laterally MDs of SMEs need to think more laterally. Where are the gaps – not just in the market but in the customer’s experience? Are there gaps between sectors/areasinterface areas? If I had it now and it was free could I give it away? – If yes then tighten into costs and figure out what that same customer might pay for it What else does it need? Reduce costs and broaden the appeal to the customer. Keep a tight focus on the customer base - and from there develop your niche product. 3. Work through people Driving innovation seem like very cool buzz words but what does it mean? Are you doing the following? Gathering the right team around you? Hiring people who are smarter than you? Providing the framework and space to develop ideas for innovation? Promoting creativity? Making research activity customer focussed not bottom line focussed (at least initially) Buying your team a drink then gracefully departing? – They need to let off steam and good teams have this outlet Driving and praising?
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WECO + CERAMICX GO INFRARED USA ! A stunningly successful trading period for Weco International culminated in the company’s exhibition at NPE 2012 Orlando. Ceramicx was also there in force; to help with trade sales enquiries and to welcome new US associates to the Weco network. Weco founder and owner Brett Wehner here reflects on the quantum leap in heating products and services now made – and the new partners across the USA for quality in infrared heating. It was just over ten years to the day that WECO contacted Ceramicx. At this stage European summer shutdown practices weren’t part of my business knowledge – but after some to and fro Frank Wilson received my many voice mails and returned the call. WECO had secured a multiple machine order through a large US based thermoforming OEM for a Visteon project that required several thousand (FQE) full quartz heaters and we were looking for a new supplier. And once we reached each other via the phone the rest is history. Frank and I immediately hit it off and he flew over to the meet with me in Michigan. After our customer’s approval and initial shipment, my father and I then flew over to Cork and spent some time at Ceramicx. The Wilson family, Frank, Gráinne and their three young children welcomed us in their home and shared the traditional Irish hospitality – x 10! So, over the last ten years - and several visits later at both WECO and Ceramicx - the definition of a first class business relationship has been carved in stone. Moreover, a lifelong friendship between our families and companies has been formed: We have now collectively participated in three NPE exhibitions, multiple SPE conferences, and customer visits at Ceramicx as well as throughout the USA. Our joint business initially focused on parts and components and has now evolved into world class oven and control solutions for the thermoforming, paint, glass, food, comfort heating, adhesive, drying industries. I’ve named a few markets for Infrared heating – and we’re still growing. The Ceramicx brand through WECO is now thoroughly recognized and respected throughout North America and the world for that matter. In the coming years we have a really solid foundation from which to reach the next level. Ceramicx and WECO continue to technically advance through efficiencies and expand our products into many new industries. I want to tell you here in brief about our new and growing network in the States and expand upon that in the coming issues of HeatWorks magazine. Weco and Ceramicx form a great team, based on family business values – and in many ways I would like to think that our new US network of companies is simply extending those principles. One thing we all have in common is recognition of the clear and outstanding opportunities in American manufacturing for the usage and benefits of infrared heating. All our network of companies will be taking that message to the market in the coming months. Take Dawson & Associates, for example: In 1971, Ken Dawson started Dawson & Associates Inc – joined in 1984 by his brother Ron in order to further expand their heating product distributorship.
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Dawson sells all manner of heating supplies to almost every type of US industry imaginable, including temperature sensors, temperature controls and various types of electrical switching devices such as magnetic contactors, mercury relays, solid state relays and SCR power controls. Dawson’s market includes plastic processors of all types, especially vacuum forming and thermoforming. Dawson’s corporate office is in Carrollton (Dallas), TX and the company also has branch offices in Houston, TX and Tulsa, OK. Dawson covers the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico. The company has a total of six external sales people and an inside sales support staff of fifteen. Weco is proud to welcome Dawson into the Weco/ Ceramicx Infrared heating fold and looks forward to a very long and mutually beneficial relationship. The Beacon Industrial Group is another new WECO associate. The company was formed as a division of Beacon Electronic Associates (BEA) in 1984. BEA was a subsidiary of Beacon Technical Industries founded in 1958 in the southeastern United States. Beacon Industrial Group serves the Plastics, Packaging, Medical, and other Industrial marketplaces and has done so for over 54 years. Again, plastics sector industry knowhow is a given at Beacon. Core Beacon customer business lies in decreasing down time, and improving profit! Beacon Industrial Group stocks heaters, thermocouples, infrared detectors, pressure & temperature controllers, pressure/ temperature/vacuum switches, relays, & contactors. Beacon process specialists are key to making heat performance better for customers. The new WECO/ Ceramicx portfolio of IR heating products will give ‘win-win’ opportunities on all sides. Their team of SIX covers Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Process Control Solutions (PCS), founded in Portland Maine 34 years ago by Doug Davis, was one of the first new wave of WECO associates. The company, now located 30 miles west of Boston, is a distributor, manufacturer’s representative and also integrator of heaters, controls and sensors. His son Bob Davis owns the company and the family business remains strong. The PCS team gives coverage of the New England States, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Its focus is on selling technical products through superior product knowledge, application experience, project management and customer and technical support. PCS facilities include a new and modern 2,000 square foot office with conference room, 4,500 square feet of warehouse and workshop, a box truck for system deliveries and installations and service vans for on site technical support. PCS has in house 3D CAD software, fabrication and assembly and also equipment testing and acceptance. The entire network of WECO and associates is now on the threshold of a new phase for Infrared heating solutions in America. The network looks forward to hosting Ceramicx this Autumn 2012 and to reporting further on our IR heating solutions for US manufacturing in the months to come.
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GREAT ELEMENTS AND GREAT CONTROL Heating professionals the world over have been enjoying the marginboosting double benefit of Ceramicx IR heating elements together with the best in process control HeatWorks magazine takes a look at the trail blazing Hetronik control system; currently enjoying particular success in the USA under WECO leadership. The HETRONIK HC500 control system when coupled with Ceramicx ovens and platens continues to gain in popularity throughout the plastic industries and other manufacturing sectors. This year thus far, for example sees WECO designing and supplying a total of eight complete Ceramicx Oven and Hetronik control solutions for new and retrofit machines. Each system supplied to each US customer has had its own challenges in providing a unique interface and diagnostics in order to maintain the familiar control within the operating environment. The primary benefit of such WECO/Ceramicx systems is that they offer the customer improved efficiencies through decreased energy usage, increased production, reduced scrap and downtime. This is particularly important in a competitive margin environment such as plastics vacuum forming. The WECO/Ceramicx systems have however enjoyed success in multiple industries, including glass, fabric, paint, plastics and medical. Getting these new IR heating systems designed and installed routinely requires 3-4 days on site for integration, including a 24 hour runoff. Recent US based projects have included zone counts of 110 individual short wave elements with PID temperature control up to a 568 zone percentage control system. Project turnaround times can be achieved in under six weeks for a complete oven control system. WECO/Ceramicx believes that one of the key features of HC500 control system lies in its diagnostic features- the ability to alarm the operator in the event of a single heater loss, a shorted wire or bad fuse. This feature – and spilt second option for process shutdown – is, of course, critical to production and scrap reduction and to company profitability. In addition, the maintenance department will find trouble shooting, when using an HC500 system simple and time saving. All manner of Ceramicx heaters, including Ceramic long wave, Quartz cassette medium wave and Tungsten/ Halogen short wave lamps are enjoying extremely high performance when controlled with the Hetronik system. The sine wave firing provides consistent coil temperatures and prolongs heater life. The basic Hetronik HC 500 family of products includes the following: HC500 CU - Central Processing Unit │ HC500 VU - Voltage Regulation │ HC500 OMM - Out Master Module │ HC500 TU - Thermocouple Unit │ HC500 OUI - Output Unit W/amp measurement │ HC500 OC - Output Card │ HC500 OM - Output Module │ HC500 FU - Fan Unit The HC500 family of products begins with the HC500-CU, the central processing unit: The CU is DIN RAIL mountable and resides in the control cabinet. Other control platforms options including, voltage Regulation (HC500 VU), PID Auto tune control (HC500 TU) and output master modules
HC500 Components
(HC500 OMM) all connect to the CPU via backplane communications and share a common DIN RAIL. The CU is the communication bridge between the HMI (Human Machine Interface) and the power output devices. Individual changes or recipes (parameters) are downloaded by the operator from the HMI to the CU. The CU then uses this information to control the desired output to the heater. No more changes are required unless directed by the operator. The system will run with these parameters until other changes are made. Utilizing the Voltage Unit VU provides constant output to the heater regardless of the incoming voltage to the machine. Typical power grids can fluctuate +/- 5% and depending on your local supplier voltages can fluctuate even greater between day and night time. A 10 volt increase to a 650Watt/240V heater will increase the output wattage to 705 watts. 55 Watts is significant when your goal is to produce consistent quality parts. Fluctuations during a 24 hour period can cause lost production, increase scrap rates and sub quality parts. The VU reads incoming line phase and through algorithms will output a percentage control to the heater through increasing or decreasing the percentage of time on/off. This type of control is not found in any other infrared multichannel control system. An operator no longer has to make changes to the process if quality is compromised due to poor quality power feed at the machine. Input to the controller your lowest expected voltage (i.e. 225V on 240V feed) and output is calculated. The HC500 TU and HC500 TU-PID is an 8 channel read only or PID auto tune temperature controller. A maximum of 8 HC500 TU cards can be used within one network for 64 individual PID temperature control points. The TU was introduced reducing the need for a 3rd party temperature control system and providing in roads to the inline roll -fed thermoforming market. HC 500 control platform will control 4.3 amps up to 100 amps per channel at 100V through 480V. This large range of control is derived from several different forms of control outputs. The Output Cards, OCs, have 10 -16 channels per cards control smaller watts per channel, reduces the footprint in the control enclosure and precise zone control within the oven. Profiling is maximized and multiple tools can be used in a single oven giving the machine a wide range of product sizes for the job shop thermoformer, paint facility or specialized processor. The Output Module (OM) based system has 3 channels of control per module with up to 8000 watts per channel, larger zones, and lower cost than OC but sacrificing profiling. The OUI, Output Unit with amp measurement controls up to 12 channels via a Solid State Relay. The OUI has a maximum of 100 amps per channel. When combining all three variations of control, OCs, OM and OUI we can handle nearly any size zone.
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CERAMICX IN CHINA CHAMPIONS OF IR SCIENCE
HeatWorks magazine welcomes the opportunity to further relay some of the conversations Ceramicx enjoyed with its customers at Chinaplas 2012 in Shanghai. The Chinese market was certainly hungry to hear a supplier talking IR applications engineering in thorough and technical detail. By Frank Wilson Chinaplas 2012 saw Ceramicx Ireland arrive on the Chinese market in earnest. For some time now we have noticed that many other importers to China have rested on a one-dimensional and simplistic approach to IR heating. A hangover of this was evident at Chinaplas in the way many exhibitors manned their booths with salesonly personnel. The times are changing, however, and our approach was different. One year ago we took the decision to attend the exhibition in person since this would allow us to fully communicate all the necessary detail in our IR offerings. Chinaplas 2012 in Shanghai showed that we had judged the moment right - and reaped the benefit of a very committed customer audience: We were able to explain in person the fundamental and technical detail for many infrared heating applications, including IR heating work with all the major plastics processes. One of the growing pains in a fast growing market is the pace of change: China is changing more rapidly than most and, in my view, is now the most demanding and quality conscious industrial customer in the world. Naturally enough, as 'Created in China' becomes a badge of quality throughout the world so the supplier base must change its tune and also its working practices. On that basis Ceramicx has carefully ensured that our products are of impeccable quality and that our marketing and service is also first class. Nothing less will now work for Chinese buyers.
A busy day at the Ceramicx stand at Chinaplas
IR heating elements - Product Design and Features Suppliers to any market must be able to demonstrate experience and a track record. With regard to infrared heating, that sort of IR know-how can only be built up and applied through a succession of IR projects of all kinds. At Ceramicx we call it applications engineering, and we are fortunate in the past twenty years in having worked a busy and successful IR project schedule. Ceramicx has designed, engineered and built infrared solutions projects and IR-based machinery for companies in America, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway and many others. We currently supply to over 65 countries worldwide.
'Out of the box' - no longer valid By way of contrast our competitors in China have, to date, a very poor record of building infrared solutions as their emphasis has always been on simply selling heaters 'out of the box'. Secondly, the Chinese market has - up until this point
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- been subject to the notion that infrared heating is simply about temperature and radiation. Ceramicx was therefore delighted to be able to use Chinaplas 2012 to talk about and open up the three critical issues in IR science; namely absorption, transmission and reflection. Infrared heating in essence is a combination of a radiant source with a target material. The process utilizes control in order to ensure a uniform and successful heatwork solution using:
ABSORPTION
REFLECTION TRANSMISSION
Infrared emissivity for our purposes is not the same as the notion of temperature in conventional heating. As we communicated at Chinaplas 2012 - IR emissivity is the conversion of electrical input energy into infrared radiant output. This output can then be converted into absorbed and transmitted heat on any target or target material. The general purpose of any infrared emitter in industry, therefore, is to convert electrical energy into infrared energy in a manner that is readily acceptable to the target material. The energy produced from a ceramic material-based infrared emitter has a number of typical characteristics: 1 Directional quality to the front 2 Heat loss to the back 3 Wave band absorption in the material being heated 4 Transmitted energy through the material 5 Reflected energy from the surfaces
In any comparative testing of ceramic-based IR elements, some further considerations must apply: 1 Directional quality to the front The placement of the coils the rib dimensions within 15 minutes will generally equalize. Consideration of this issue will be of minimum effect. 2 Loss of heat to the back Within just 15 to 20 minutes most systems will even out since any initial advantage will be consumed by the effective equalization of temperature. The mere thickness of any insulation in no way determines its effectiveness as an insulator. The general quality of supplier insulations can vary hugely. 3 Wave band absorption This is hugely important. Achieving the effective absorption of the electro magnetic wave band width is critical. Getting this right prevents surface scorch while also improving the rate of heating and providing a valuable route to best performance of material and energy. 4 Transmitted Energy Thin transparent materials will allow energy to pass through. A wave band of lower source temperature creates radiation with longer band widths and provides greater absorption. This fact is demonstrated in Ceramicx production due to the higher emissivity of the source ceramic body. Any given wattage will show an increased level of performance due to more radiation being emitted at lower values. Placing the back of your hand in front of the emitter will give a quick valuation of emissivity. 5 Reflected Energy from the surfaces All energy at longer wavelengths will provide less of an opportunity for reflection. Our Ceramicx product again has an
Frank discussing some of the technical information surrounding infrared with Mr. Robert Tu and Ms. Anyo Tu of Ino Industrial Belting Co., Ltd.
advantage, using more of the converted electrical energy to radiant output, and at a longer wavelength in greater density.
Radiation - not temperature As said, a one dimensional approach to IR heating and to the Chinese market has to date only engaged the customer on issues of temperature and time. Perhaps this has been so because these metrics are better understood in the conventional or convectional heating world. However, when it comes to infrared heating, other criteria need to be understood and need to be used. For example; comparative testing of time and temperatures taken for IR systems to heat up certain materials should not be worth anyone's time and effort. The same thing goes for certain IR tests involving water evaporation. Any air movement whatsoever will distort any attempts to make comparisons.
Customer care The bottom line here, as in many other aspects of supply chain management is this: - Firstly, to provide time and resources to educate the customer; in this case, on the principles and science of infrared heating - Secondly, to have complete transparency of the product and its construction; and to enable the customer to check the science and performance of their IR products for themselves. And with every IR product supplied - and most particularly to customers in China - all available product data must go with it, so that the IR aspects; metrics and performance, speak for themselves and so that the customer be enabled to look at any aspect of their choosing. At Ceramicx, each and every one of our IR ceramic products supplied has a unique and individual thumbprint or birth certificate. The unique serial number allows the customer to go online and obtain the specific performance data for that ceramic element alone. Ceramicx is a unique supplier in this regard. To those who evaluate data this is a most important distinction between our heaters and those available from our competitors.
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Holin Plastic Machine Holin Plastic Machinery and Ceramicx join forces!
Cáthál Wilson, explaining some of the details surrounding the use of infrared, while Mr. Li Ping Qiang, Ceramicx distributor in China looks on.
Design success At Chinaplas Ceramicx received much interested and commendation for the design and performance of our hollowbased ceramic heating elements. Ceramicx hollow heaters to be sure contain a better quality insulation but it is important to remember that the value of this insulation will apply for start up only, not production. All competitor products will equalize after a 20 minute period of time. After that the emissivity of the material is of paramount importance and in that regard Ceramicx-designed hollow heaters win out every time. The reason? Our body material out performs all other products in the market in the conversion of electrical energy into infrared output and the heating of the target material. The heater weight can also generally contribute to the thermal inertia but within reason a reasonable variation will give the same result in practice and production. Other aspects of ceramic element product performance can include the diameter, shape and size of the resistance wire. This depends on the design of the coil, the issue of consistency of OHM resistance and consistency. Again, Ceramicx addresses these design issues in a detailed and open fashion on our website. Ceramicx patent on this method of temperature reading secures the position of the thermocouple allowing for consistence of temperature read and a faster reaction speed of the thermocouple. Temperature is however only an indication of radiation heat work. The values and parameters in infrared heating are constantly being explored by Ceramicx, both in industrial applications and for uses in the built environment and everyday spaces. Our deep involvement in development and design with Universities throughout the world will bring us further developments. Our delivery of valuable and advanced infrared emitters to the Chinese market is underpinned by a greater understanding of the technology for the modern world. At Chinaplas 2012 we proved to our customers in China our clear intent to lead the way in all matters of infrared heating for their industries. Our company development and growth has certainly been testament to this fact.
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Hangzhou Holin Plastic Machinery Co., Ltd took full opportunity at this year's Chinaplas to equip its latest thermoforming machines with advanced state-of-the-art infrared heating systems supplied by Ceramicx. Holin Plastic Machinery did a long period of market and technical research before finally selecting its infrared heating components from the Ceramicx quartz heater “FQE series”. In April at Chinaplas, Shanghai the decision was seen to pay off handsomely. The newly IR equipped Holin thermoforming machine went on show at Chinaplas 2012 and the design and performance won much attention and enquiries from customers inside and outside China. Hangzhou Holin Plastic Machinery - like Ceramicx has been manufacturing and trading for just over twenty years. Holin specializes in plastic machinery, plastic modelling, whole-plant turnkey systems and also specialized equipment for research and production. The Holin thermoforming machine enjoys a growing market share in global markets and is renown both inside and outside China Part of the reason for selecting Ceramicx and the Ceramicx products for the next generation version is the strict quality control policy practiced by Holin Plastic Machinery. The two companies understanding of the necessity for absolute quality helped create the route to the supply partnership. Holin recognized that the non-IR heaters that were previously fitted to their thermoforming machine were blocking their renewed quality-based goals. These ovens were prone to periods of unstable and uneven heating, thus creating production problems and costly over-use of energy in order to try and compensate. In making the change Holin was appreciative of the fact that Ceramicx Ireland products have both CE and UL certification and a very effective method of quality traceability. All of these factors help Holin build technical superiority into their production and thus allow Holin thermoforming machines to be exported worldwide. And thanks to all of the Ceramicx detail supplied for each piece of IR heating componentry, Holin customers worldwide are greatly empowered to tackle such issues as production monitoring and maintenance and after sales care. Holin Plastic Machinery’s new generation HLRCH full-auto high-speed thermoforming machines use the full servo system. The mechanical construction and build is also of the highest quality. This particular thermoforming machine’s maximum oven length shown at Chinaplas is 5.3m. The new Holin/Ceramicx supply partnership is now set to achieve great things in the thermoforming markets worldwide and looks forward together to achieving further steps together at Chinaplas 2013.
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BLOWING - NOT SO HOT AND COLD HeatWorks magazine issue 2 detailed some of the energy savings to be had in injection stretch blow moulding. Here we look again at other ways and means to further control the process. Predicting thick or thin areas has always been the major issue in blow moulding and thermoforming. Many tooling engineers have extensive experience of how a moulding may form but perhaps the ‘black-arts’ of guesswork in processing are coming to an end. After all, modern computing software takes only a few minutes to calculate the stretching of, say, 22,000 elements on a material surface. In many ways, it's simply a no-contest. Recent market research has also shone some interesting light on the take up of simulation software: Where previously we assumed that the ideal user of the software should be the moulder, recent experience reveals that end-users are leading the way. The most common tactic is for the end-user to invest in the licensing and use of the simulation software. In this way the client is more in control of the design, strength and cost of the product. Major automotive companies and material suppliers all across the world have licensed many kinds of simulation software. Even those not currently using these processes and techniques will have taken out a license on the assumption that they will eventually simulate and learn. All others - moulders included - are mainly using the software for their designers, tooling and structural analysis engineers in order to generate substantial savings, shorten procedures and eliminate trial-and-error.
mainstream systems. Uniquely, both systems use actual processing conditions and calculate how the material will flow at different processing temperatures. After the initial simulation, which normally only takes a few minutes, process engineers can quickly see any problems and assess the effect of changes – long before a tool is cut. In situations where the design is asking the plastic to do too much, the engineers can then work with the software and the customer’s designers in order to make changes to give the optimal material performance and processing cost. And this pre-emptive task need only require a few hours in the office - not after the tool has been cut and the horse has already bolted. In addition B-Sim now automatically optimises the profile of Parisons or Preforms, and die settings – to optimise (and reduce) the material thickness of the finished moulding.
In the second issue of Heatworks magazine, published in February 2011, we showed how savings of 9% and 16% were reported after using T-Sim simulation software on existing thermoforming jobs. Add this to the 30% savings possible with Ceramicx energy saving advice and equipment for Thermoforming and Blow Moulding and the competitiveness of many plastics processing businesses could be significantly improved. It is surprising also how many engineers are unaware of the degradation in efficiency of elements through time and the beneficial effect that reflectors could have on their energy bills. The sister package for the T-Sim simulation software for blow moulding process is called B-Sim: Materials used in blow moulding have similar flow characteristics to those used in thermoforming, so the same 3D stretching equations can be used to predict final thicknesses and identify thin or thick areas – long before a tool is cut. Both have been developed over fifteen years from within the plastics industry – they are bespoke to the industry and not simple ‘add-ons’ to
The diagram here shows how B-Sim can optimise the material thickness – allowing the starting thickness (and cost) to be reduced – without loss of strength. In short, all trends point to simulation in blow moulding as well as in thermoforming. Simulation allows overall costs to be reduced even further and to have further control exerted over process heating and energy bills with new Ceramicx elements and reflectors.
Contact details: David Russell
0044 7762 296771
email; info@consultdr.net
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APPLICATIONS ENGINEERING
Whether you require a customised solution or materials testing, a new infrared heating or drying system or an upgrade to your existing process.
Ceramicx can design and build the heating solution for your business. From a single zone 5kW test oven to a 500 zone,1MW high volume computer controlled oven.
36kW focused short wave infrared heating system
12 zone closed loop control system
11kW combined radiant/convective insulated furnace module
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CERAMICX STANDARD PRODUCT RANGE
CERAMIC TROUGH ELEMENTS
Trough
Long Neck
Curved
Large Trough
FTE Full Trough Element
245 x 60 mm 150W 250W 300W 400W 500W 600W 750W 1000W
LFTE Large Full Trough Element 245 x 110 mm 1000W 1500W
HTE Half Trough Element
122 x 60 mm 125W 150W 200W 250W 325W 500W
LN - Long Neck
QTE Quarter Trough Element
FTE-LN Full Trough Element -Long Neck
60 x 60 mm 125W 250W
QCE Quarter Curved Element 60 x 55 mm 150W 250W
122 x 60 mm 250W 400W 5 00W 6 50W
FTEL-LN Full Trough Element Long - Long Neck 285 x 60 mm 1000W
for further technical details please visit our web site
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CERAMIC FLAT ELEMENTS
Flat
Square Flat
Large Flat
FFE Full Flat Element
245 x 60 mm 150W 250W 300W 400W 500W 600W 750W 1000W
SFSE Square Flat Solid Element
122 x 122 mm 150W 250W 300W 350W 400W 500W 650W 750W
HFE Half Trough Element
122 x 60 mm 125W 150W 200W 250W 325W 500W
LFFE Large Full Flat Element 245 x 95 mm 150W 350W 750W 1400W
QFE Quarter Flat Element 60 x 60 mm 125W 250W
CERAMIC HOLLOW ELEMENTS
Hollow
FFEH Full Flat Element Hollow
245 x 60 mm 250W 300W 400W 500W 600W 800W
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Square Hollow
HFEH Half Flat Element Hollow
122 x 60 mm 125W 200W 250W 300W 400W
QFEH Quarter Flat Element Hollow 60 x 60 mm 125W 200W
SFEH Square Flat Element Hollow
122 x 122 mm 250W 300W 400W 500W 600W 800W
THERMOCOUPLES Type K
Type J
+ Nickel Chromium - Nickel Aluminium
+ Iron - Copper Nickel
EDISON SCREW ELEMENTS
ESEB
ESES
ESER
ESEXL
ESEB
ESES
60W 100W
60W 100W
ESER
ESEXL
Edison Screw Element Ball Ø65 x 140 mm
Edison Screw Element Regular Ø95 x 140 mm 60W 100W
Edison Screw Element Small Ø80 x 110 mm
Edison Screw Element Extra Large Ø140 x 137 mm 400W
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QUARTZ ELEMENTS
Quartz
Square Quartz
Pillared Quartz
FQE Full Quartz Element
247 x 62.5 x 22 mm 150W 250W 400W 500W 6 50W 750W 1000W
SQE Square Quartz Element
124 x 124 x 22 mm 150W 250W 400W 500W 650W 750W 1000W
HQE Half Quartz Element 124 x 62.5 x 22 mm 150W 250W 400W 500W
PFQE Pillared Full Quartz Element
247 x 62.5 x 22 mm 150W 250W 400W 500W 650W 750W 1000W
QQE Quarter Quartz Element 62.5 x 62.3 x 22 mm 150W 250W
PHQE Pillared Half Quartz Element 124 x 62.5 x 22 mm 150W 250W 400W 500W
QUARTZ ELEMENTS
STQH Single Tube Quartz Heaters
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STQH100 100 x 100 mm
Wattage Range 150 - 400 Watts
STQH112
112 x 112 mm
Wattage Range 150 - 400 Watts
STQH140
140 x 140 mm
Wattage Range 150 - 650 Watts
STQH150
150 x 150 mm
Wattage Range 150 - 650 Watts
for further technical details please visit our web site
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QUARTZ TUNGSTEN HALOGEN
Quartz Tungsten Quartz Halogen Quartz Tungsten QTS Quartz Tungsten short
Ø10 x 224 mm
750W
QTM Quartz Tungsten Medium
Ø10 x 277 mm
1000W
QTL Quartz Tungsten Long
Ø10 x 473 mm
1500W 1750W 2000W
QHS Quartz Halogen short
Ø10 x 224 mm
750W
QHM Quartz Halogen Medium
Ø10 x 277 mm
1000W
QHL Quartz Halogen Long
Ø10 x 473 mm
2000W
Quartz Halogen
Quartz Tungsten / Halogen Reflectors
QTSR Quartz Tungsten Short Reflector
250 x 62 mm
QTMR Quartz Tungsten Medium Reflector
300 x 62 mm
QTLR Quartz Tungsten Long Reflector
497 x 62 mm
FASTIR
FastIR 305 305 x 305 x 150 mm
Suitable for 1000W Quartz Tungsten/Halogen Heaters QTM/ QHM ( tubes supplied separately ) 4 Tube - 4kW
5 Tube - 5kW
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FastIR 500 500 x 500 x 150 mm
Suitable for 2000W Quartz Tungsten/ Halogen Heaters QTL/QHL ( tubes supplied separately ) 6 Tube - 12kW 7 Tube - 14kW
CUSTOM PANEL HEATERS Custom Panel Heaters
Available with anodised aluminium or ceramic glass face. Range of Wattages and supply Voltages Multi- zone options with removable miniature thermocouple plug
REFLECTORS / PROJECTORS
RAS Reflector Aluminised Steel supplied without heaters PAS Projector Aluminised Steel supplied without heaters
RAS 5
PAS 5
94 x 76 x 1,258 mm
RAS 4
100 x 60 x 1,004 mm
PAS 4
94 x 76 x 1,008 mm
RAS 3
100 x 60 x 754 mm
PAS 3
94 x 76 x 758 mm
100 x 60 x 505 mm
PAS 2
100 x 60 x 254 mm
PAS 1
RAS 0.5
100 x 60 x 160 mm
RAS 2 RAS 1
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100 x 60 x 1,254 mm
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94 x 76 x 508 mm
94 x 76 x 258 mm
ACCESSORIES 2P Ceramic Terminal End Block
3P Ceramic Terminal End Block
2P Ceramic Terminal End Block
3P Ceramic Terminal End Block
R7s Ceramic Holder
Flat Ceramic Base Holder For Halogen/
with stainless steel fittings 40 x 32 x 20 mm
No fittings 40 x 32 x 20 mm
For standard QT/QH heater range
with stainless steel fittings 62 x 32 x 20 mm
No fittings 62 x 32 x 20 mm
Tungsten heaters fitted with a flat ceramic base
Stainless Steel Buzz Bars
STQH Holder
Mounting Bracket 73 x 57 x 25 mm
Steel Wave Spring and Clip Set
Ceramic Beads
Ceramic Beads
E27 Edison Screw Bulb Holder with Base
Glass Bulb
8 x 2 x 1000 mm
Strung
For all types of STQH type heaters
Loose
Ø76 x 60 mm
E27 Edison Screw Bulb Holder Ø53 x 74 mm
Reflector for Ceramic Bulbs Ø220 x 110 mm
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ceramıcx/news.... Carrying the torch Retirement, at least for those of us who carry on, can often be a bitter-sweet business. On the one hand there is joy in wishing someone a new chapter of life with plenty of R &R. On the other hand there is sadness in losing a valued colleague. And – to use a topical metaphor – the torch of the work must be passed on to new and capable hands. So things were with us at Ceramicx when we recently said goodbye to Liz Best, our accounts controller for many years: Purchasing and purchase ordering is a key element for any company. Liz did sterling work for us in that regard and we wish her all the very best for a happy retirement. To our great fortune the torch has now been successfully passed to Siobhán Lavers. Siobhán is local to us in Dunmanway, Co. Cork, and has over twenty years work experience in a manufacturing environment. Her industrial background and skill sets have enabled her to fit in straightaway with the people mix at Ceramicx.
Exhibitions
Eurasia Packaging, Istanbul, Turkey. 20.09.12 - 23.09.12 Turkish Distributor, Ser Rezistans The 13th China International Machinery & Electronic Products Exposition, Wuhan, China. 23.9.12 - 26.9.12 Chinese Distributor, GSAE China International Automotive Interiors Show 2012 - Beijing, China. 17.10.12 - 19.10.12 Chinese Distributor, GSAE Fakuma, Ludwigshafen, Germany 18.10.12 - 22.10.12 German Distributor, Friedr Freek Plasteurasia, Istanbul, Turkey 29.11.12 - 02.12.12 Turkish Distributor, Ser Rezistans Plastindia, New Delhi, India 01.02.13 - 06.02.13 Indian Distributor, Elmec Heaters Chinaplas, Shanghai, China 18.04.13 - 21.04.13 Ceramicx and GSAE
A new IR partnership The latest for us sees the ink just drying on a new Enterprise Ireland sponsored Innovation Partnership project. Our new academic partner is Trinity College Dublin and the team
Ceramicx World Class Manufacturer All the hard detail is set to follow soon – but we recently received word from one of our assessors that Ceramicx has now entered the World Class quadrant in terms of global and industrial assessment. This is great news and no small achievement: Barely 1% of Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) throughout the world reach this standard of effectiveness.
in its Engineering Department led by Dr Tony Robinson. The applied research will move Ceramicx further in its industrial Application Engineering Projects and will also inform the development of the proprietary products in the Ceramicx Comfort IR range. Our brief will be to create a detailed and scientific matrix of the effects of Infrared Heating on humans and materials in the built infrared environment. This is our third such IP project within three years. We are grateful indeed for the continuing support. We know that the fruit of the work will benefit all parties in the research/industrial environment and supply chain.
A time for festival and celebration Wednesday 1st August, marked the passing of Lughnasadh, a harvest festival celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere and in parts of Ireland with bonfires and dancing. Here at Ceramicx on the previous Friday we had our own version of bonfire and festival heatworks – applied mainly to our sumptuous hog roast, and enjoyed by all our hard-working work force. There may come a day – and not too far away either – when a Ceramicx infrared heating source will be the definitive way to spit-roast all kinds of meats. Until then, the charcoal based version tasted just fine! There was no raining on our parade that day, in celebration of the Ceramicx Family Day BBQ and also to mark our 20th year in business.
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Talk to us today about your infrared heating needs.
Frank Wilson
Gráinne Wilson
Managing Director
Director
frank.wilson@ceramicx.com
sales@ceramicx.com
Cáthál Wilson
Tadhg Whooley
Projects Manager
Technical Sales Manager
cathal.wilson@ceramicx.com
tadhg.whooley@ceramicx.com
Marcin Milczarczyk
Patrick Wilson
Engineering Manager
Production Manager
eng@ceramicx.com
patrick.wilson@ceramicx.com
Mike Sheehan
Stephen Dyer
Quality/ Purchasing Manager
Ceramicist
mike.sheehan@ceramicx.com
steve.dyer@ceramicx.com
Siobhán Lavers
Amanda Murphy
Accounts
Secretary / P.A.
siobhan.lavers@ceramicx.com
amanda.murphy@ceramicx.com
Infrared ceramic and quartz heating systems for industry Ceramicx Ireland Ltd. Gortnagrough, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, Ireland. Office hours Monday to Thursday 08.00 - 18.00 gmt Friday 08.00 - 14.00 gmt
Tel. +353 28 37510
Fax. +353 28 37509
email. sales@ceramicx.com
www.ceramıcx.com S EPT EMBER 2012
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CERAMIC ELEMENTS Long wave emitters
QUARTZ ELEMENTS Medium wave emitters
QUARTZ TUNGSTEN ELEMENTS Fast Medium wave emitters
QUARTZ HALOGEN ELEMENTS Short wave emitters Fast IR systems
GLASS INFRARED BULBS ACCESSORIES
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all standard stock items available online, goods despatched next day, competitive delivery rates. For all non standard items contact sales@ceramicx.com