(570) 995-5025 info@jpwdesign.com START YOUR OVEN SEARCH Whether it is time to replace an existing industrial batch oven, upgrade a process with a new oven, or set up an entirely new process requiring an industrial batch oven, there are numerous questions that can arise as to how you put together the justification for a capital expenditure. We strongly recommend speaking directly with a sales engineer to narrow your search and help guide you through the process. This will ensure that you limit your risk when selecting your equipment. INDUSTRIAL OVENS 101 Some of the basic questions revolve around the oven size, operating temperature, fuel source, available utilities, airflow pattern, instrumentation, and lead time. As a general rule, these are the first questions to get answered; but you will find out that this is just the beginning of a critical exchange of information between yourself and the vendor that will ultimately lead to the proper selection of equipment for your process needs. Oven size is always a fascinating subject as it pertains to the process. Some feel the oven should be large enough to handle future business opportunities, and others want just enough space to handle current requirements. Usually, the budget for the project helps dictate how far you can go with size. The size is directly relative to what the process needs are. Future business is an unknown and investing in an unknown future revenue stream is a risk. Discuss the detail of your needs with the oven supplier to arrive at a size that will do the job. When selecting a size, remember to discuss any building restrictions that may pose an issue with the size required. Doorways and ceiling heights are the most common issues that can affect how the oven is designed. Operating temperature has an effect on oven construction. There is a common belief that if you need a 475°F operating temperature, then you should purchase a 650°F unit. There are pros and cons to this theory. Discussing your particular need with your oven vendor will result in a selection that will meet your processing requirements. As a general rule — the higher the temperature, the higher the cost. The fuel source for the oven can be electric, natural gas, propane, or steam. The first three are the most common. Typically, oven size guides the fuel source selection. Large ovens are cost-effective on natural gas or propane; smaller, low-temperature ovens are cost-effective on electric. There are some processes where only electric can be used. Have your oven supplier discuss the fuel source differences and the cost to operate to determine a cost-effective solution. Utilities are important to know when purchasing or selecting an oven. Voltage and phase are required whether you are buying a gas oven or an electric oven. Knowing which utilities are available can help determine if you have the proper utilities in place to operate the equipment. The lack of utilities may add to your cost justification if a new gas line or electrical service is required but not identified upfront. The airflow pattern inside the oven can make your life easy or difficult. Selecting from combination, compound horizontal, straight horizontal, vertical up, or vertical down is truly determined by how you load the oven, taking into consideration its parts, shape, and size. For example, it would be a mistake to load a large stator into a straight horizontal oven where one leading edge of hot air enters the chamber on the right and returns on the left. The hot air will transfer the energy to the right side of the part first, curing it faster than the left side. The proper selection for this example would be combination or compound horizontal with two leading edges of hot air entering the chamber from the left and right side and returning through the top or rear of the oven. Please take airflow into consideration and discuss it with your sales engineer. Instrumentation is an important topic when selecting a control package for the oven. Controllers range from single set point to profiling, and they can be packaged with a recording option or stand alone. Recording devices come in paper or paperless with many options. The right choices can only be made by using the correct information about the process you are performing. Take time to select the control package that will get the job done and make a point to discuss the options with your sales engineer. Lead time can only be established once the oven is completely selected and workload schedules for the supplier can be reviewed. This is a variable that is constantly changing. The one thing that we have learned over the years is that everybody will want it faster than it can be built. It is a constant challenge. Consult your salesperson for lead time information. SPECIFIC PROCESS REQUIREMENTS Now that you have your size, temperature, fuel source, and other basic needs selected, it is time to gather additional information pertaining to your specific process needs. Paint curing, solvent venting, inert gas processing, composite curing, drying, aging, and annealing are a short list of some of these specific processes. In this section, we will touch on a couple of examples which will help you understand some of the requirements that are crucial to selecting the right oven for your application. Solvent venting is a common process requirement for industrial ovens whether you are curing solvent-based paints or varnishes. The questions that need attention are processing temperature and the amount and type of solvent being processed. The construction of a solvent venting unit also needs to take into consideration pressure relief panels and an exhaust blower; the unit will also have a purge cycle before allowing the heating circuit to energize. If you have an MSDS (material data safety sheet) for the material you are processing in the oven and the quantity of the material being processed by batch, then the sales engineer can help guide you to the proper selection of a solvent venting oven. Aging is another common process requirement for industrial ovens. Uniformity and instrumentation are two critical details as aging ovens are used to accelerate the aging process or expose the product to real life conditions through simulation. The process requires the product to get to the target temperature and hold it there uniformly for a specific period of time. Understanding the loading of the product is important so the workspace and airflow pattern are designed to achieve the time to temperature and uniform part temperature specifications required. In some cases, live load testing of the products is required versus an empty chamber survey. Please consult with your sales engineer and communicate your specific needs to select the right equipment and options. A WORKING RELATIONSHIP The amount of information available to process is astounding and can be challenging when making a decision on your next oven purchase. We have covered a very basic outline that will help get you started, but be sure to discuss in detail your needs with your sales engineer or oven supplier. Ultimately, the relationship between customer and supplier can only be as successful as the information exchanged. Make your next project a success. Copyright ©2021 JPW Industrial Ovens & Furnaces. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy WHAT TYPE OF INDUSTRIAL OVEN ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Need a ready-to-ship or quick-ship oven in a few weeks? Are you looking for a custom-built oven for a specific need? Does your company require an inert atmosphere or a curing oven? JPW has you covered. All of our ovens are crafted to suit our customers' needs. We offer design, prototyping, welding, and assembly. From concept through production and every step in-between, we add value to vision. We are skilled at finding solutions while keeping you competitive in the marketplace. FEATURES YOU CAN RELY ON JPW sets ourselves apart from the competition by UL Listing every control enclosure on every oven. We build each oven to your specific voltage requirements. In addition, each mechanical convection oven comes standard with horizontal airflow. We also use TEFC (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled) motors on all of our ovens. When you purchase a JPW product, you receive more than just an oven - you receive a commitment to communication, quality, and service. CABINET OVENS JPW cabinet ovens are designed to meet your most demanding needs. Our precision engineering, heavy duty construction and exceptional performance along with a variety of airflow patterns and optional equipment provide the right solution for your heat processing requirements and are designed for easy loading and unloading. Cabinet ovens can be used for various applications including curing and drying. Standard sizes range from 3.56 cubic feet (cuft) up to 96 cubic feet (cuft). Standard temperatures can be up to 650F, but for chambers above 650F please inquire about our HT (high temperature) series cabinet ovens. CUSTOM OVENS JPW’s custom solutions industrial oven line is designed to meet a wide range of heat-processing applications. We offer an assortment of options to meet our customer’s specifications. From internal size, external size, and temperature to gas or electrically-heated ovens, we can create and produce the industrial oven you need. Sometimes after evaluating your unique oven requirements, one of our standard line models can be modified to meet your needs. Many of our most popular ovens are available for quick customization and shipment. However, if a one-of-a-kind oven is what you are looking for, we will certainly deliver. We LOVE a challenge! Our industrial ovens can be made to fit in a tight spot, meet an unusual capacity, accommodate a certain process, you name it! Whether you are looking for a batch, curing, drying, electrical, gas, high temp or vertical lift door oven, we can help. LAB/BENCH OVENS Although smaller than most of our industrial ovens, JPW’s lab/bench ovens are mighty, producing high heat for drying, curing, testing, baking, finishing, aging and other pre-heating needs. They are usually used in the industrial setting when small batches of product are needed, or the size of the workspace is limited. These ovens are often positioned on a table or bench but can also be floor-mounted depending on the setting. Lab/bench ovens often use wheeled racks, carts, or trays to simplify the heating process. There are a variety of industries that regularly use the lab/bench ovens including, aerospace, medical, solar, metal-finishing, pharmaceutical, and education. CONTINUOUS PROCESS OVENS Continuous Process Ovens are used in a variety of industries, such as aerospace, defense, fiber optics, wood and metal finishing, plastics, rubber, industrial processing, pharmaceutical, electronics, printing, and automotive. JPW’s continuous process ovens feature welded steel structural units, heavy gauge interiors, and operate at temperatures up to 1250°F. They can be used for a range of applications including tempering, annealing, curing, pre-heating, drying, heat-shrinking and heat-forming. Standard features for our continuous process ovens include a welded steel structural unit that is built to last, heavy gauge aluminum or steel interior, easily accessible interior for maintenance and cleaning, effective air distribution system, all are UL Approved, simple or complex control systems available, and temperatures up to 1250°F. Types of continuous process industrial ovens available include flat conveyor belt, chain conveyor, ferris wheel, carousel, overhead trolley, serpentine, chain-on-edge, spindle, slat type, strip cure, print plate, pusher ovens, dog beams, wash-draw and multi-tier. HEAT-TREATING OVENS Heat-treating ovens can be used for treating a variety of metals and glass to harden or soften a material through extreme heating and chilling. Heat-treating ovens can be used to treat cylinder heads, welded and carbon steel joints, pumps or various mechanical plates. Typical applications include aging, annealing, brazing, hydrogen embrittlement relief, drying, pre-heating, hardening, normalizing, baking, soldering, solution treating, stress relieving and tempering. WALK-IN OVENS JPW’s Walk-In Ovens can be accommodated to meet your specific application needs. They can be customized with programmable controllers, recorders, disconnects, pass-through doors, powered exhaust, extra kilowatts, wall ports, perforated and solid shelves. racks and carts and accessible by foot or vehicle. Our dependable, safe, energy-efficient, quality built walk-in industrial ovens are typically used in the aerospace, medical, solar, drying, curing (composite), heat-treating, metal finishing and pharmaceutical industries.