Conveyor Length

 Q. How long should the conveyor through my powder cure oven be? N.H.

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A. This is a short question that will require a long answer. In order to determine the length of conveyor you need in the oven you will need to do some homework. First, develop a hanging pattern to determine how many parts you will hang per lineal foot of conveyor. Space the parts out and determine how high you want to hang them. Figure out what the hanging centers will be on the conveyor line. Calculate the number of parts you can hang on the rail.

 Then you need to determine how long it will take to bring the part up to the peak metal temperature required for cure. Light gauge material can be raised to 400°F in less than 5 min. Heavier masses will require more time. Test to determine the proper bring-up time of your parts.

 Then you need to add the time required for cure based on the manufacturers’ technical data sheet for cure. Cycle time in the oven is based on the bring-up time added to the cure time. Lastly, you will need some space between the heated zone and the oven entrance and exit called a vestibule. The vestibule should be at lease 8 ft long—longer if the parts are very tall or the opening is very wide.

 Divide the part volume by the parts per lineal foot. Divide that number by 8 hr per shift. Divide that number by 60 min to get ft/min. Add approximately 20% for gaps in the line. The answer is the design line-speed for your system. Multiply the line speed times the oven cycle time and you have your conveyor length in the oven.