Comparison of the Categories of Industrial Ovens

Comparison of the Categories of Industrial Ovens

Comparison of Industrial Ovens and Industrial Furnaces

Industrial Ovens 

An industrial oven is a large, powered machine used to heat metal objects. Most ovens use either direct or indirect heating methods to produce the desired temperature in an object. The industrial oven is made up of multiple parts and it is classified according to its function. The industrial oven is able to create a high temperature and then keep the metal at that temperature for a long time. Additionally, the industrial oven is very reliable and it can be used in a wide variety of settings.

Comparison of the Categories of Industrial Ovens 

  • Industrial Batch Ovens: A batch oven operates at a temperature above 1250 degrees F or 676 degrees C. Batch ovens are walk-in types or cabinet-type ovens, ranging in size, which may vary from a few cubic-feet to several cubic-feet. They feature aluminized steel interiors, adjustable ductwork, painted exteriors, digital controllers, and a control panel. This type of oven is designed to process larger single batches at high temperatures and has a much larger capacity & size as compared to laboratory furnaces.
  • Conveyor Ovens: They are designed in a number of configurations, including flat belts, chains, Ferris wheels, carousels, overhead trolleys, serpentines, spindles, and rods. Unlike the batch oven, a conveyor oven requires no loading/unloading/heating & cooling, thus saving labor as well as energy costs. This type of oven is used for preheating, annealing, tempering, curing, heat-shrinking, drying, & heat-forming. This type of oven has lesser flexibility than the batch-type oven. They have a similar temperature as that in a batch oven. Such type of an oven can feed or index continuously through heat zones and is usually automated for big quantities of small and medium-sized products. 
  • Laboratory Ovens: This type of oven is designed for forced volumetric heat convection applications for providing uniform temperature. In this, the processes include annealing, drying, die-bond curing, sterilizing & Polyimide baking. Sizes can vary from as small as 1 cubic foot to as large as 32 cubic feet with temperatures above 350 degrees Celsius. This type of oven is designed to perform heat treatments like drying, heating, heat testing, and aging. Because these types of ovens are so versatile, they are usually seen in testing laboratories, universities & colleges, and for material testing at industrial sites. Unlike industrial ovens, the laboratory ones have latched doors, stainless-steel interior, pressure release panel, solid-state controller & contactor, and chemical-resistant exterior coating.

Comparison of Industrial Ovens and Industrial Furnaces

Often people get perplexed about the differences between an industrial oven and an industrial furnace, and these two terms are used interchangeably. Essentially, both devices talk of the methodology to generate extreme heat in a fireproof enclosure for the purpose of heat treatment. The main differences are described below.

  • Atmosphere: An industrial furnace and industrial oven both operate in an environment with air or inert gas. Unlike an industrial oven, the furnace can operate in a flammable atmosphere consisting of hydrogen or endothermic gasses and exothermic gasses.
  • Temperature: Industrial ovens are designed for aluminum aging as well as for aerospace curing; they operate at temperatures between 450 degrees F and 850 degrees F. On the other hand, Industrial furnaces operate at a temperature between 2000 degrees F and 2250 degrees F.
  • Applications: Air circulation, as well as temperature control, allows an industrial oven to perform the operations like cooking, curing, baking, and other such low-temp operations. On the other hand, high-temp industrial furnaces can perform more vigorous operations like annealing, tempering, & carburizing, etc.
  • Heat Distribution: The air inside industrial ovens gets heated in a chamber separate from the product and is also circulated. Air circulation must be very high for heating the product(s). 
  • Vertical Airflow: The heat in furnaces is in direct contact with the product being processed. Heat sources can be set in different configurations for the purpose of a uniform heating effect.

Types and Categories of Industrial Ovens Explicated

Categories of Industrial Ovens

Heatcon Sensors – The Largest Manufacturer of Industrial Ovens

 

What Are Industrial Ovens?

Industrial ovens are the devices, which are used for generating high temperatures for the heat treatment of parts, metal conditioning, and curing of the metal coating. The 2 major types of industrial ovens are the continuous ovens and the batch ovens. As their names suggest, a batch oven can do the treatment of a big number of parts at once. Continuous ovens are often the major part of mass production and can consist of heating as well as cooling functionalities. The operation of an industrial oven depends largely upon its usage requirement. Gas ovens, electric ones, steam ovens, hot water ovens, and microwave ovens are the conveyor-loaded industrial ovens. Product loading patterns and airflow patterns are important for the success of industrial ovens. 6 different airflow patterns are there, depending on the product type and how they have been loaded. Heat gets circulated by forced convection.

Categories of Industrial Ovens

Below are some of the common categories of industrial ovens, which are unique in their creation, structure, product handling, as well as flexibility:

  • Industrial Electric Oven: This type of oven uses electricity. It has a quick heat-up time, and precise temperature control, and is available at a comfortable rate. This type of oven is perfect to deal with the combustible product(s) and/or work with some metals namely aluminum that may discolor when they are heated by gas.
  • Laboratory Oven: This type of oven is used for testing samples during the product development process or while completing the light-duty productions of smaller parts.
  • Industrial Batch Oven: This type of oven is used for processing a large number of products. This type comes in different sizes, which vary from some cubic meters to even several cubic feet. 
  • Conveyor Oven: This type of oven is used in automated productions and this is usually designed for fitting into some particular manufacturing processes. This type of oven can operate at varying speeds. It consists of multiple heat zones, a cooling zone, and also an exhaust hood. It does the work of curing, preheating, drying, bonding, tempering, stress-relieving, annealing, and forming.
  • Curing Oven: This type of oven causes powder/paint to be bonded with metal(s). It is capable of hardening the products that are made from rubber, plastic, or some metal.  
  • Direct Gas Oven: This type of oven is more costly to be constructed than an electric oven but it is less costly to use as the gas cost is lesser than the cost of electricity. 
  • Drying Oven: This type of oven is used for removing moisture, heat-treating metal(s) for extrusion processes, for sterilizing medical equipment(s). It uses natural/forced convection.
  • Tunnel Oven: This type of oven has an open-ended chamber(s), which are connected to a metal belt; this has a baking platform too. Products get baked straight away on a pan or on the hearth. 
  • Microwave Oven: This type of oven has been very common for cooking and heating food in houses, but recent developments have resulted in the use of these ovens for industrial purposes as well. 
  • Baking Oven: This type of oven releases moisture, trapped gasses, or volatile compounds from the coatings on the finished products. 
  • Vacuum Oven: This type of oven controls atmospheric pressure inside the heating chamber for removing any contaminants, and for providing better control over the treatment process.
  • Infrared Oven: This type of oven uses high-intensity lighting for maximizing production and for minimizing the use of energy. 

Heatcon Sensors – The Largest Manufacturer of Industrial Ovens

If you wish to have more information about the industrial ovens for your application(s), you can contact the experts at Heatcon Sensors; they happen to be one of the largest manufacturers of high-quality industrial ovens.