A very large and well-known consumer electronics company approached Tempco in need of a heating solution for plastic parts within their manufacturing process. These parts enter an indexing stage of the manufacturing process in which they are constantly being shifted into new positions with quick, precise movements. During this stage, heat needs to be applied to the parts. The plastic part is placed on a large plate and is contained inside a 2-inch target area. It requires precise and strict temperature uniformity that is evenly distributed to ensure a high level of quality during the thermoforming process.

Tempco manufactures a variety of ceramic e-mitters for the plastics industry. After carefully considering application details, we suggested that the customer use a Type CRG heater – a square style ceramic heater that can be designed at various wattages. The smaller, more condensed square geometry allowed the customer to fit the heater within their existing metal frame and heat the plastic effectively. A team of engineers discussed a specific solution to best fit the customer’s application. Two additional features were utilized:

• A system of Type CRG heaters was designed for the application’s metal frame that minimized heat loss and reflected maximum heat on the plastic parts.
• A thermocouple was integrated into the body of the ceramic infrared heater. This allowed for precise control over the heater, assisting to maintain the strict temperature uniformity requirement.