Better Control of Plastic Lamination in Less Space with Heraeus Infra-Red

A fast response, medium wave infra-red system from Heraeus Noblelight of Neston, Wirral, has allowed Weatherfast Ltd of Great Barr to achieve better control over the PVC Membrane laminating of steel sheets/coil used in the gutter industry, while requiring much less space than the convection oven which was used previously. The controllability has also provided an improvement in quality.

Weatherfast is a privately owned company, which offers a wide range of waterproofing products both for the new build & refurb sector.

Weatherfast gutter systems are laminated with a walkable PVC tread pattern and this is achieved by feeding a coil of PVC through to a set of pinch rollers, where it is pressed onto a continuous coil/sheet of steel, which is simultaneously introduced into the rollers. Previously, the steel had been laminated by passing the steel through a convection oven. This took up a great deal of floor space and, in the event of unanticipated line stoppage, the steel sheet still in the oven could be overheated and often unsuitable for lamination.

To solve this problem, Weatherfast installed a 67.7 kW fast response infra-red system, featuring six emitters from Heraeus, which can be shut down very quickly to prevent damage to the steel. Moreover, unlike the convection system, heat up time is also rapid and miniature circuit breakers on the rear of the compact infra red module allow individual emitters to be switched off or on to match the line speed and required temperature of the process.

“We now have more effective control over our lamination process,” comments Weatherfasts works manager, Keith White, “And the whole installation is much more energy-efficient and has freed up a lot of valuable floor space.”