An infrared oven from Heraeus Noblelight allowed the Newmor Group to carry out pre-gelling of PVC used in wall coverings as an inline process, reducing production times and increasing productivity.

The oven consists of four 29 kW medium-wave infrared cassettes arranged in two zones, each of which features a 0-100 percent potentiometer, linked to its own thyristor, to allow precise power regulation in each of the zones.

The Newmor Group manufactures a wide range of wall coverings at its Welshpool (United Kingdom) factory. An essential part of the production process is the buildup of the necessary thickness of PVC to allow subsequent surface embossing or printing. The end thickness is around 0.5 mm, but it is necessary that the PVC is applied in two stages to ensure correct cure of the finished product.

Previously, the PVC application process involved two passes through the hot air oven but Newmor decided to investigate the possibility of inline pre-gelling to reduce production time and increase productivity. The oven, as intended, allowed Newmor to eliminate the need for a double pass through the hot air oven and has greatly reduced the process times. It has also allowed significant energy savings because the oven needs to be switched on only when pre-gelling is taking place.