Enamel furnace conveyors & firing tools

Furnace conveyors

Industrial enamel furnaces for large production volumes are typically equipment with conveyors and firing tools to maximize furnace loading efficiency and simplify product handling.

These furnace conveyors are usually mounted "overhead" outside the actual furnace underneath the roof support steel structure.

For some specific applications, like baking ovens & cookware, so-called slot-in-bottom furnaces have been designed to enable fully automatic transfer of products from the application to the furnace conveyor.

Overhead furnace conveyors are traditionally heavy duty Webb 3" or 4" type chain conveyors, although recently also cross-linked monorail type conveyors have been used.

Power & Free conveyors may be used too, but require a reliable solution for connecting & disconnecting the so-called furnace shoe-plates, which seal off the slot in the furnace roof to minimize energy losses.

The conveyor drive-unit should ensure that the conveyor moves smoothly (also at low conveyor speeds) to avoid that products fall off inside the furnace. This is even more important for a "powder enamel" furnace.

The conveyor track should be equipped with an adequate number of expansion joins and a well positioned tension unit to compensate for eventual dilatation of the conveyor due to unavoidable temperature differences during operation.

A drop rod ( a J-shaped hook made of heat resisting alloy, which hangs underneath the conveyor trolley), is the connection between the furnace conveyor and the firing tools.

Firing tools

Whereas furnace & furnace conveyor components are very much standardized, firing tools should be design in relation with the specific requirements of your products.

The sketch at the left hand side show a typical firing tool for cooker parts, which consist of one suspension bar, four end hangers and multiple cross bars.

Flat panels which have a tendency to deform during firing may be placed on so-called A-frames as shown on the picture at the right hand side.

Firing tool may be cast or fabricated from a heat resting alloy with low wrapping & scaling properties.

Typical alloy sheet comply with DIN 1.4841 or AISI 310, while cast firing tools are usually made of a NiCr 55/18 composition.

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About Us

Ditmer Trading & Consulting BV is a family owned company, which was founded by Ronald Ditmer in 2007.

We provide worldwide technical services & equipment to the porcelain (vitreous) enameling industry.

Benefit from our experience

Our Managing Director & Owner has been personally involved in 50+ industrial porcelain enameling projects since 1984, while working respectively for Ferro (Holland) BV, Smit Ovens BV, Smit Sinus Enameling BV, Nordson Corporation and/or Ditmer Trading & Consulting BV.

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Ditmer Trading & Consulting BV
Palissander 141
3315MP Dordrecht
The Netherlands

Phone : +31-78-6169877
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