Polymerization furnace: correct size and balancing

Powder painting requires a certain set of equipment in production: devices for preliminary preparation, a spray chamber, a spray gun and a polymerization furnace. Each element of the powder coating line is very important to the final result. Therefore, you need to carefully and meticulously choose equipment that will meet the requirements of a particular production.

In this article, we will take a closer look at polymerization furnaces. Earlier we have already described its functions and varieties. Today we will tell you about what size it should be and why it needs balancing.

Selecting the size of the polymerization furnace

The first thing that affects the size of the polymerization furnace is the size and weight of the product that will be painted in it. The second is the size of the painting room. The polymerization furnace can be very compact for painting, for example, self-tapping screws. Or very large if parts of an airplane are painted, for example.

The dimensions of the furnace must be such that the product is fully placed in it, and the heating systems can warm it up sufficiently.

Polymerization of powder paint, as a rule, takes 15-20 minutes. At this time, there can be one product in the oven, or a batch of products, if they do not interfere with each other. The oven interior must be large enough to hold a batch of products for 20 minutes.

The size of the oven for an automatic painting line with a conveyor system depends on the maximum size of the parts to be painted and the speed of the production line.

The length of the conveyor is measured by the formula:

(curing time + time for heating the base) x speed of the production line

For example, if the product is heated to the temperature when the polymerization begins for 5 minutes, the powder vulcanization occurs after 15 minutes, the full oven cycle is 20 minutes. And if the production line moves at a speed of 3 meters per minute, for such a furnace, according to the formula, you need a conveyor with a length of 60 meters.

Sometimes it is worth equipping a workshop with two furnaces in order to increase production productivity.

Furnace balancing

To create a high-quality polymer coating, a constant air flow and temperature balance in the polymerization oven are required. If somewhere there is insufficiently warmed air or the temperature does not have a constant degree, the coating is insufficient or non-uniformly polymerized. This means that the color or shine may not be the same, and therefore the product will be damaged.

To check the correct operation of the polymerization oven, it is necessary to check the indicators of uniformity of heating at least once a month. With a special device that records the temperature in the oven, the painter checks the air and the part from top to bottom and can determine if there are any deviations and problems.

With the help of equipment that records the temperature, it is possible to check how long it takes for the metal to full warm-up to calculate the cure time of the paint.

Having these indicators, the conveyor speed should be adjusted so that the paint is fully polymerized.

Maintenance and inspection of the oven must be carried out regularly. If the production does not have a specialist who can do this on his own, you can always contact the manufacturers of powder equipment. They will audit the entire powder coating line and report any faults in a timely manner.