A custom walk-in oven will be used to cure a specialty coating on composite parts while maintaining at least 50 percent relative humidity within the oven. Lewco, Sandusky, Ohio, designed the oven so that it could be shipped in several sections and fit into an existing space.

To meet the processor’s relative humidity requirements, Lewco developed a humidification system to inject moisture directly into the oven’s circulated airstream. To control the amount of water sprayed in the airstream, the oven was equipped with a relative humidity sensor. Humidity levels and water spray were controlled through a custom PLC control system on a touchscreen HMI. The control system allows the user to save multiple ramp/soak recipes, check the oven status and view processing data.

The oven, which operates around 168°F (75.5°C), will sustain temperature uniformity of ±10°F (±5.5°C) throughout the workspace.