Carbon Infrared Emitters Dry Materials For Outdoor Clothing
 |
| Carbon infrared emitters from Heraeus Noblelight help to achieve faster drying of fabrics for outdoor clothing and increase production speed. |
The best outdoor clothing provides double protection against rain. A water-repellent coating allows the water to run off the surface, while the fabric itself is water-proof but breathable. Textile fabrics with these properties consist of a combination of textile, membrane and a coating.
The application of the water-repellent coating is an important stage in the manufacturing process but it is also important that the coating applied is thoroughly dried before the next manufacturing stage. Conventionally, this is carried out with a Stenter, a very versatile, gas-fired oven used extensively in the textile industry.
To meet a significant increase in demand for its products and to handle a very wide product range, a manufacturer of top quality outdoor clothing established that it would have to speed up the drying process if production speed were to be increased.
The solution lay in a carbon infrared system, fitted in front of the Stenter to achieve the required degree of pre-drying. The 124 kW infrared system was first proven on site and then installed without problems. The installation was possible in the little space available, without the need to re-organise the production line or to shut the line down for a prolonged period, as would have been necessary with a hot air oven.
Since installation, the new system has allowed an increase in line speed averaging 6%, depending on the type of textile and on how much of the coating is taken up by the fabric. In addition, the carbon emitters react so quickly that, unlike other heating systems, overheating of the fabric can be eliminated.
Heraeus Noblelight GmbH with its headquarters in Hanau and with subsidiaries in the USA, Great Britain, France, China, Australia and Puerto Rico, is one of the technology- and market-leaders in the production of specialist light sources. In 2006, Heraeus Noblelight had an annual turnover of 88 Million € and employed 651 people worldwide. The organisation develops, manufactures and markets infrared and ultraviolet emitters for applications in industrial manufacture, environmental protection, medicine and cosmetics, research, development and analytical laboratories.
Heraeus, the precious metals and technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a global, private company in the business segments of precious metals, sensors, dental and medical products, quartz glass and specialty lighting sources. With revenues of more than EUR 12 billion and more than 11,000 employees in over 100 companies, Heraeus has stood out for more than 155 years as one of the world’s leading companies involved in precious metals and materials technology.
Heraeus Noblelight
Reinhard-Heraeus-Ring 7
63801 Kleinostheim
Press: Marie-Luise Bopp
phone 49 6181 35 8547
marie-luise.bopp@heraeus.com