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32 POWDER COATING, November 2016 For further reading on topics featured in this issue, select from the articles listed here. You can find these and other articles at www.pcoating.com. Click on Article Index and access them by author, company (organizations), or subject. Curing How to cure powder-coated parts with- out getting burned. Nick Liberto. November 1993, p. 61. As a result of working in the powder coat- ing industry, I have seen a powder coating cure oven used for many things. For instance, employees in a company in Mex- ico heated tortillas for lunch in their pow- der coating system's cure oven. I also heard of an installation in the US that allowed its employees to place a raw chicken wrapped in aluminum foil into the cure- oven vestibule in the morning so they could have roasted chicken by noon for lunch. The 12 most common questions asked about oven temperature profiling. Steve Offley, Ph.D. September 2006, p. 42. Temperature profiling allows you to record and interpret the temperatures of your products and oven air through a convey- orized or batch oven. The data collected by a temperature profiler tells you how hot your products became and for how long, and what temperatures your products reached and at what point. This article answers the most common questions coaters have about temperature profiling and explains how analyzing profile data enables you to increase production and solve production problems. The IR-convection curing system: Designing effective curing processes to meet today's production needs. Sherrill Stoenner. November 2006, p. 16. Manufacturers of the twenty-first century are constantly seeing their processes chang- ing to keep up with the demand for increased productivity while reducing costs. Today's manufacturer is being asked to produce more products with less process inventory and a smaller workforce, and to a higher quality than ever before. To meet these demands, the finishing process also has to change. Manufacturers can't com- pete in today's world with the same finish- ing process they've used for the past several decades. This article discusses the problems that can occur with old curing systems and how they can drain a finishing line of energy and efficiency, which ultimately leads to decreased profits. The article then discusses how ovens that combine infrared with convection technology can boost effi- ciency and lead to increased profits. To get the color right, a pigment man- ufacturer expands its curing capabilities. (Benda-Lutz, Independence, Ky.) November 2008, p. 20. If you've ever had to repaint a room and you just wanted to keep it simple and paint it white, this seemingly basic coating solution can quickly become alarmingly complex and nuanced. Do you want glossy, semi-gloss, flat, or satin? And the endless color cards and rows of color chips claiming to be white, range from a yellowy ivory to a pristine marshmallow hue and everything in between depending on the pigment cocktail. After shaking the can and putting the first coat on the wall, does the color still look like the chip you based your selection on? When a powder that is white in the lab comes out yellowish on a finishing line, an aluminum pigment manufacturer embarks on a problem-solv- ing odyssey that reveals a fundamental dif- ference between cure ovens. Batch versus conveyor: Which oven is best? John Guanci. November 2009, p. 17. It's time to look for a new oven when you have bottlenecks in your production line or you're ready to start a new product line. Should the oven be batch or automated conveyor? This article discusses nine issues you need to consider before you decide. Curing, pre-heating, drying, bonding, and a host of other applications all require one element-uniform and controlled heat. Both batch and automated conveyorized ovens can provide those heating require- ments, but which type is right for your operation? The pros and cons, coupled with practical guidelines, will help you with your selection. Oven primer: An introduction to industrial process ovens. J.W. Guanci, III. November 2010, p. 11. Virtually every manufactured product requires the introduction of heat at some point during the production process. Pur- chasing the proper piece of thermal process- ing equipment is rarely an easy or a casual consideration. Reputable oven manufac- turers share those exact sentiments, in that they will consider a customer's application, production needs, and concerns seriously. It's also understood that multiple issues become intertwined to create a series of details which must be resolved before trust is gained and equipment is purchased. This article serves only as a general guide to heat processing equipment and the issues that must be considered to select the proper oven, as well as the appropriate options and features. Of course, for an applica- tion-specific diagnosis, consultation with a member of your oven manufacturer's sales team is always recommended. Nick's Niche: Part cooling techniques: Why it's important to "Cool it!" Nick Liberto. April 2014, p. 27. It seems that our concerns about properly curing the powder coating on a part over- shadows the cooling of the part, even though it has equal importance in a well- designed powder coating process. So I thought I would provide you with the information necessary to give you a per- spective about powder coating system design that you may not have properly con- sidered before. PC Index to Articles and Authors Suggested Reading ARTICLE INDEX