Moulders should always use reflectors to direct heat to where it is required – rather than being lost out the back of the elements.
To ensure that as much energy as possible is transmitted to heating the sheet it is important that heating elements are effective and the heat emitted from the back of the elements is reflected towards the sheet.
Up to 30% energy savings
David Russell Associates Ltd has carried our technical visits to Ceramicx www.ceramicx.com and believes that the thermoforming industry could achieve significant energy savings by fitting reflectors at the back of every heating element.
The visits confirmed that Ceramic and Quartz heating elements emit heat in all directions – if reflectors are not used, a new 650W element will reach 5250C on the sheet side and 4500C on the back – when these temperatures are converted into the heat reaching the sheet – only 60% of the energy input reaches the sheet – with 40% lost out the back to heat the machine frame and the factory.
But with a reflector behind each element the sheet side of the element reaches 5900C and 80% of the energy is directed towards the sheet.
To achieve the same sheet temperature with reflectors you can reduce the energy input resulting in:
- Up to 30% energy cost savings (heat the sheet, not the frame or the factory)
- Faster heating – reduced cycle times
- Heaters up to temperature quicker
- Longer heater life (less heat history and degradation – see article)
Ceramicx have been at the forefront of the development of Infra-Red heaters for thermoforming for 16 years and offer selection advice for all applications and materials. They offer complete packages of platens and state-of-the-art control systems to optimise energy usage.