Fast response infrared heating system

When Dura Automotive Systems' factory at Castle Bromwich was awarded a contract by a major British car maker to produce quarter lights featuring a molded sealing around the edges, the company contacted Bauromat (UK), an expert in robot manufacturing cells.

A cell featuring two Kuka robots was installed to carry out the delicate operation of applying a prime adhesive coating to the quarter glass to allow a molded seal to be affixed in a subsequent operation. The coating had to be heated to a specified temperature to achieve the required cure and 'tackiness'.

Infrared was considered an effective solution. An infrared system takes up very little space, can be precisely controlled to synchronise with the robot operations and is very energy-efficient. Tests carried out at Heraeus Noblelight’s Applications Centre in Neston, Wirral, proved so successful that a 24kW carbon medium infrared system was installed in the robot manufacturing cell. This is designed to heat one large item of glass or two smaller ones, and is pyrometer controlled to maintain a set coating surface temperature.

Oli Lebrun, project engineer at Dura, says: “The infrared system fits perfectly into the cell manufacturing cycle and we have an additional energy-saving bonus, as the fast response of the emitters means that heat is applied only when required.”