Pre-Heating/Activation of Adhesives

Vulcan have developed and built four compact infra-red ovens to soften soundproofing pyroplastic reinforcement material for use in the automotive industry.
When heated the material can be moulded around complicated shapes to form permanent soundproofed areas on cooling. In developing a suitable oven, Vulcan needed to find a way to make the material pliable by heating it all through rather than just the surface layer, but without overheating, and to activate the surface adhesive without burning the product.

The oven uses Vulcatherm fast-response medium wave infra-red quartz emitters, located at the top of the oven. The emitters’output temperature is directly controlled by an infra red optical pyrometer, positioned on the side of the oven and focused on the soundproofing material during heating.
A latching device senses material entering the oven allowing the emitters to be switched on and off when the material is put into the oven or taken out. The inner oven ining is made of thermally insulated stainless steel to minimise heat loss.
The oven is designed to operate on a single phase mains supply for portability.