Ovens
The two main varieties of industrial ovens are batch ovens and conveyor ovens. Batch ovens are used to heat a product or collection of products within an enclosed space. They can be small and portable, or they can take up a whole room; these ovens are often called walk-in or truck-in ovens. Batch ovens are attractive to some heat treatment service providers because they can apply the same amount of heat evenly to many products, resulting in product uniformity. Also, because batch ovens are enclosed, some of them are available as vacuum ovens, which remove atmosphere from the heating chamber to prevent undesirable reactions with products. Conveyor ovens are useful in larger scale operations where streamlined production is necessary. Conveyor ovens use a conveyor belt that passes products through a small, heated area in a continuous stream. Companies that mass-produce relatively small products that require heat treatment account for the most demand for conveyor ovens.
The heat source in both batch ovens and conveyor ovens varies. A heat treatment service provider will choose which heat source is appropriate based on project needs. Three main heat sources are available, though there are a few, more obscure methods of heat generation. Natural convection, or the transmission of heat from gasses to solids, is common in smaller-scale heat treatment operations. Heat from a gas-fired or electrified source is transmitted through the air and into the product. This method is the least efficient and distributes heat unevenly, though it is appropriate in some baking applications. Forced convection makes use of a fan in the oven's enclosure which allows for the even distribution of heat. Larger-scale baking operations often make use of forced-convection ovens. The most efficient method of heat generation is through
infrared radiation. In this method, heat is transferred directly from the heat source, often an electrified tungsten coil, directly into the subject, eliminating the step between source and destination. In some cases where even heat distribution and the maintenance of high air temperature are desired, a combination of infrared and forced convection heating may be employed.
