Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/901126
level of precision over a powder curing process that is simply out of the reach of conventional convection ovens, whether they be batch or continuous flow. In addition, the three main advantages of IR are reduced size, lower operating costs, and increased output. However, there are even more potential unin- tended savings hidden in this process. For starters, take a close, critical look at your powder coating line to check: • Current space utilization. Consider what you could achieve if your powder coating oven was half its current size. • Operating costs. If you could produce the same output for half the cost or double the output for the same cost, what would the overall impact be? • True cost of quality. Are you rework- ing parts? If so what percentage? Cal- culate the cost in terms of labor, mate- rials, time and lost production. Test and test again If you think that you could benefit from IR, then carry out some con- trolled testing. Several suppliers as well as local utilities have test centers worldwide. A good test center will allow you to run detailed tests on your products and help you to quantify the many potential improvements. Build up a spreadsheet of your current cost model and run some "What if" scenarios. A look at the potential bot- tom line improvements can be very compelling. Even when you have in- stalled your new line, you will probably find an improvement that you had not thought of previously. There are always positive unintended consequences when installing IR. PC For more information or to submit a que s t io n, c o nt a c t An n e G o y e r , e x e c ut iv e dir e c t o r of IR E D , a t 859/356-1575; anne@goyermgt.com; http://www.ihea.org/?page=IRED. Send comments or questions to Alicia Tyznik, editor, at 651/287-5610; fax 651/287-5650; atyznik@cscpub.com. For further reading, visit Powder C o a t ing m a ga z ine ' s w e b s i t e a t www.pcoating.com and search the Article Archive by keyword, subject, organization, author, or issue date. All articles listed in the archive are a v a ila ble fo r fr e e do w n l o a d to registered users. Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 POWDER COATING, November 2017 17