Resource Library

HeatTek has a team of experts to design the equipment that will be best for your operations. And we offer several different options for conveying products, including roller hearth conveyance, pop-up/transfer conveyance, chain conveyance, overhead handling, unit load handling, turn tables, vertical lifts, semi-automatic handling and robotics. 

HeatTek has a team of experts to design the equipment that will be best for your operations. We offer several different options for our equipment including convection, infrared, induction, resistance power or a combination of them.

HeatTek has a team of experts to design the equipment that will be best for your operations. We offer several different options for our impregnation equipment including trickle coat, roll coat, dip and bake and powder coat. 

The main difference is temperature. Industrial ovens typically operate below 1,000°F for processes like drying, curing, or baking. Furnaces reach much higher temperatures for heat treating, melting, or forging. Furnaces often require heavier-duty insulation and construction to handle extreme heat and thermal stress.

The answer depends on several factors. Heat into the product is determined by the desired final temperature, how much weight of product, the material of the product, fixture weight and material, and how well the product accepts the heat.  Additional heat is needed to overcome losses, such as oven door opening, exhaust and flue losses and wall losses. HeatTek can partner with you to design an oven specifically for your operations.

A zone is a specific section within the oven where temperature and airflow are independently controlled to achieve a particular heating process. These zones allow for tailored heat treatment of materials or products, ensuring consistent results across different stages of processing. HeatTek can design ovens or furnaces with as many zones as you need to achieve your desired results.

Temperature uniformity is the consistency of temperature throughout an oven or furnace, ensuring the different points within that space reach and maintain a similar temperature. It's critical for consistent product quality, reducing rework, and improving efficiency. HeatTek conducts comprehensive testing to ensure we meet or exceed our customers' temperature uniformity standards.

A purge refers to the process of removing any potentially flammable or hazardous gases or vapors from the oven chamber before ignition or during shutdown. This is a critical safety step in ovens that operate with combustible materials or use gas burners.

Class A ovens are designed for loads that contain solvents. Class A ovens are designed to prevent the buildup of flammable vapors in the oven by providing enough fresh air and exhaust for the stated solvent loading. For additional details and requirements, please reference NFPA 86.

A setpoint is the target temperature an oven or furnace is programmed to reach and maintain during operation. HeatTek’s control system continuously adjusts heating elements to keep the actual temperature as close to the setpoint as possible for consistent and reliable processing.

A process variable is the actual measured temperature inside the oven zone that is monitored and controlled to match the desired setpoint. 

A control variable is the output signal—such as power to the heaters—that the control system adjusts to maintain the process variable at the setpoint. 

A control loop uses the process variable to calculate and adjust the control variable, keeping the zone at the setpoint and compensating for load changes to ensure consistent product temperature. 

An offset is the difference between the controller’s measured temperature and the actual zone temperature, which is sometimes adjusted manually to compensate. Small offsets are normal, but large ones may affect process accuracy. 

A deadband is the temperature range around the setpoint where no heating or cooling action is taken. It prevents the system from constantly switching on and off, reducing wear on components and maintaining stable temperature control. The deadband is a range that is designed in or configured. 

Hysteresis refers to the difference between the temperature at which the oven turns on and the temperature at which it turns off. It's used to prevent frequent cycling of the heating system, helping maintain temperature stability and extend equipment life. 

Overshoot occurs when the process temperature briefly exceeds the setpoint after a change. A small overshoot can speed up response time. Too much overshoot may overheat the product, while too little slows the process.

A thermocouple is a temperature sensor made from two different metals joined at one end, which produces a voltage that changes with temperature. It’s widely used in industrial settings because it’s durable, responds quickly, and can measure a wide range of temperatures. Thermocouples do not require excitation voltage. 

A resistance temperature detector (RTD) is a sensor that measures temperature by detecting changes in electrical resistance. Known for their accuracy and stability, RTDs are commonly used in industrial applications for precise temperature monitoring.