ApplicationsActivate Thermal Transfer on Plastic
Application:
An electronics manufacturer applying computer keyboard characters with a thermal transfer.
Problem:
- Poor Quality - The existing method of activating the thermal transfer in a gas-fired convection heat tunnel did not consistently make a complete transfer of the characters to the keyboards.
- Excessive Scrap - The incomplete transfer of the characters to the keyboards resulted in an excessive number of keyboards being scrapped.
- Slow Line Speed - The existing line speed of 15 feet (4.6 meters) did not produce enough finished keyboards to satisfy customer demands.
Solution:
- Heat - Two Model 4554-A-25-12 High Density Pyropanels were used to provide a precise amount of heat to the thermal transfer.
- Instant On/Off - The High Density Pyropanels heated up and cooled down instantly in response to keyboard placement on the line.
Benefits:
- Improved Quality - The precise heat provided by the High Density Pyropanels consistently made a complete transfer of the characters to the keyboards.
- Reduced Scrap - The consistent transfer of the characters to the keyboards virtually eliminated the need for the manufacturer to scrap keyboards due to poor character quality.
- Increased Line Speed - The manufacturer increased line speed by 133% to 35 feet (10.7 meters) per minute and was able to produce enough finished keyboards to satisfy customer demands.
- Energy Savings - The ability of the High Density Pyropanels to heat up and cool down instantly enabled the manufacturer to operate them at 5% power when keyboards were not present on the line, reducing the amount of energy consumed by the activating process.