What is an industrial continuous oven?

What is an industrial oven? Industrial ovens are ovens used in various industries such as ceramics, steel, glass, brick, tyre in high-temperature processes. They create tremendously high temperatures to heat treat products, materials, etc. The raw materials that undergo the heat treatment process such as annealing, drying, carbonitriding, normalisation, sintering, pulling, smithing, baking and tempering can be in any state of aggregation. How successful will the heat treatment be, depends on the product loading and airflow patterns. Now, that we loosely know what is an industrial oven we can focus on classification. Classification of industrial ovens is based on numerous standards which define its technological purpose, heat source, chamber design and heat utilisation. Technological purpose stands for heat treatments the industrial oven is used for, such as dying, melting, heating, sintering. Classification of the heat source is based on what source type the oven is using for heat treatment. The oven can run on electricity, coal, gas or mazut or doesn’t have to have an external heat source. Industrial ovens are also classified based on chamber design which can be rotary, cave, line, chamber or a tunnel. Classification formed on heat utilisation determines how the heat from gas emissions is utilised.  These are some basic standards the classification is based upon, but they are certainly not the only ones. The classification can also be based on how the oven is loaded or on heat transfer.

Continuous ovens we construct here at Procesni Inženiring d.o.o are made using high technology solutions and high energy standards to suit your wishes and the industry’s needs. Ovens for heating products below 600°C are designed to ensure the evenness of the heat products at the appointed temperature. The evenness is created by combining the oven atmosphere and airflow vents. Ovens for heating products below 600°C have double wall and ceiling to ensure proper air circulation and mineral wool as insulation to prevent heat loss. Each zone has temperature sensors that are built-in the supply and return air ducts.

We offer two types of ovens for heating products below 600°C:

• Chamber oven below 600°C

Chamber oven for heating products below 600°C loaded on carts ensure the evenness of the products. It focuses on the ratio between the products and the cart weight. The oven for heating products below 600°C has an adjustable temperature up to 570°C and the batch weight 1000 kg, 3000 kg or 5000 kg. Carts carrying the products are powered and placed on tracks, then launched into a chamber oven. The heating speed and the evenness of the product are affected by the size of ventilation systems, and by the method used to load the products onto the carts. There is a built-in burner that is heating the oven in the negative pressure zone. The industrial oven is known for specific energy use that depends on the ratio between the weight of the products and the weight of the cart.

• Continuous oven below 600°C

Continuous oven for heating products below 600°C is mostly used for colour curing after powder coating or loosely put for paint finishing and baking. The dyed products move through the heating tunnel with a chain transporter on the oven ceiling outside the heated area. Infrared heaters and ventilation systems equipped with channel burners guarantee that the heating is quick, efficient and even. Interchangeably placed infrared heaters are heating the side of the channel in the interval between two pieces. The process used is suitable for the product with a larger surface, which is then moved, to the other part of the continuous oven, for the finishing processes. These are made using heated air circulating through the dryer. The furnace length of the continuous oven is 22 m, and the channel width is 800 mm.

Now that we know what is an industrial oven, let us look at the processes it offers. Heat treatment is a process for improving or altering the physical properties of the products. There are lots of different heat treatment types to obtain the desired properties of the product. Heat treatment processes are based on meticulously followed methods. These methods change the chemical and physical properties of the product. What is an industrial oven’s function in all this? With proper heat treatment, we can change the heat and electrical conductivity of materials, relieve stress or develop desirable chemical properties. To achieve wanted properties, we don’t have to use just one heat treatment on the materials but several. The heat treatment process heats the material, holds it at a predetermined temperature and then cools it down. During the process, the high temperature alters the microstructure of the product and causes the material to change its mechanical properties. How will the heat treatment change the material’s mechanical properties depends on temperature, time of heating, time of keeping the material at a predetermined temperature, surrounding conditions and rate of cooling the material. The parameters depend on the heat treatment type, material and size of the product.