Custom Applications
Most of the primary markets we serve today evolved from a custom application. Our ovens have been field-tested in over 8,000 locations and are currently serving effectively in over 800 industrial classifications, including the U.S. Military. The following are just a few examples of how we've customized thermal stripping and cleaning furnace technologies to help our customers solve their unique cleaning and production challenges.
As a large manufacturer of styrene-based plastics, the Beaver Valley plant of ARCO Chemical Company in Monaca, PA was experiencing severe problems and expense in periodic cleaning of a large, 12 ton, 20' long heat exchanger (condenser) which eventually plugs on the shell side with cross-linked plastic residues during service. Prior cleaning methods involved setting the condenser afire and letting the part burn uncontrolled for several weeks. The extreme heat involved in such burning frequently damaged or warped the condenser,... View the Arco Chemical Case Study
Carolina Chem-Strip owner Ronnie Stallings' love of cars is what got his company off the ground. Eager to be involved in the automotive industry, Ronnie began helping area commercial finishers strip auto bodies. A short time later, when Honda opened a plant in nearby Swepsonville, NC, they asked Carolina Chem-Strip to clean their coating racks. "They were the first ones to make me think.... paint racks, hmm," Stallings mused. Painting, coating and finishing are pervasive in the manufacturing of all types of products. This thinking and Ronnie's natural ambition helped turn his small one-man shop into a multi-plant operation. View the Carolina Chem-Strip Case Study
IGG style cleaning oven
Developed initially as a "custom application", Pollution Control's IGG style cleaning oven has become a standard in the Plastics Industry. RTP Corporation is a typical example of why it has become a staple of plastics processing facilities and equipment. Based in Winona, Minnesota, RTP is an extruder of high temperature engineered plastics. The cleaning of screws and extrusion tooling had become quite a chore. Plastics with high levels of inorganic fillers and frequent material changeovers only aggravated the situation. Manual cleaning methods were time consuming and abrasive cleaners usually shortened the life of their tooling. View the RTP Case Study
Annealing and Pre-heating
The operational qualities of pyrolytic or heat-cleaning furnaces are very similar to those of annealing furnaces. Both accomplish their tasks through the precise control of time, temperature and atmosphere. Because of these similarities, we have, in a few cases, helped companies modify our Controlled Pyrolysis® ovens so that they can perform certain annealing or heat treatment functions. These annealing applications primarily focus on the “tempering” of steel. This process increases the toughness of iron-based alloys (steel) by reducing some of it’s excess hardening. In our experience this process has been used mostly by manufacturers of heavy equipment and structural steel components to increase the strength of load-bearing parts. Tempering relieves stresses in the steel and decreases brittleness around welds.