Ay: Temmuz 2019

A day that started with rain and fog turned into blue skies once Abacus Catering arrived to set up.

By 1 o’clock everyone in the factory gathered outside in the sun for a feast of burgers, chicken, salads and of course a sneaky bit of apple tart.

While some opted to sit in the shade (near the drinks conveniently) others enjoyed the heat of the sun sitting at the table long enough to rival The Last Supper.

Patsy Bear kept an eye on the proceedings hoping between the drinks in the shade and the leftovers in Abacus’s van before finally settling by the speakers to digest his food.

Thanks to Frank and Gráinne for a lovely afternoon!

Recent enquiries presented our research department with the following question:

“Could we improve the aesthetics of the IRP4 without sacrificing performance?”

This led to lengthy discussions within the department. As in the question, the performance of the IRP4 is of utmost importance, along with its structural integrity.

We contract manufacture this product for Herschel Infrared in the UK. An Advantage IRP4 consists of four 650W FTE fixed on two aluminised steel reflectors. These are housed in a robust stainless steel body, suitable for withstanding the high temperatures. The IRP4 is designed for use in large open spaces such as a warehouse or garage, where it is to be mounted facing downwards, at a height of approximately 3 meters.

While we are satisfied with the IRP4’s current performance, the need to constantly refine our products is essential to stay ahead in this ever-competitive market.

“Curiosity is the basis for successful innovative development. Structure to this is completion”
– Frank Wilson, Managing Director

For this study, modifications were considered for two components which directly influence the radiative output of the heater; the reflector and the front face grill. While numerous other changes could be made, these were the current focus.

The Reflector

The standard reflector used by Ceramicx in almost all applications is aluminised steel. This is a cold rolled sheet of mild steel clad with an aluminium layer on either side, one side of which is highly reflective. Numerous reports have been produced to date by Ceramicx detailing the impressive reflective properties of this material. The performance of this reflector was compared with that of a stainless steel reflector, and a heat treated stainless steel reflector which appeared bronze. It was unanimously agreed that this bronzed stainless steel was very aesthetically pleasing.

The results, as expected, highlighted the superior reflective performance of the aluminised steel reflector. As a result, no alterations to the reflectors were made.

The Front Face Grill

The front face grill used in the IRP4 is a stainless steel mesh. For comparison, one grill was heat treated like the reflector to produce a bronze finish, and one was covered in a black powder coat. While all grill styles were found to reduce the performance of the IRP4, it is necessary to include a grill to adhere to safety standards. The results found no difference between the original and heat treated stainless steel grill, while the powder coated grill performed poorly. The higher emissivity of the black powder coat resulted in the grill absorbing an undesired amount of the thermal radiation emitted by the elements.

A heat treated (bronzed) stainless steel grill could be used on request, without having any adverse effects on performance when compared to that of the standard stainless steel.

Modifications can always be made to a product in order to meet customer demands. However, the performance of the product is paramount. Ceramicx strives to constantly improve and refine all products, as well as producing highly efficient bespoke pieces on request.

Full report is available to read and download here: CCII 00152 – IRP4 performance evaluation

Improved Brackets

PAS’s are predominately mounted to a wall where they distribute heat at a 45-degree angle. The brackets required for this were previously narrower. For added peace of mind we have designed a larger bracket to improve the stability when the product is wall mounted, this is most prominent on our larger variations of PAS products, but we have changed it across the line to keep the design uniform. Mounting positions are still the same to minimise disruption to the end user.

New Louvres

We have adopted a new design louvre for the back of our parts, this is mostly an aesthetic change, but we feel that it has improved the overall appearance of the part. This is mostly down to the purchase of our new Trumpf punching machine which has allowed us to experiment when various designs along with the help of Craig Letty from Mate Tooling who helped us test out a few different designs and come to our decision on the shape.

We have increased the number of louvres on the body of each part to improve air flow and have a better overall appearance.

Any PAS we produce contains Ceramicx made in-house reflector body and endcaps along with the inclusion of our 2P ceramic terminal blocks from our dust press machines.

All these parts together ensure a top-class product to provide the heating you need for years to come.

PAS’s are available in 5 different lengths supporting FTE/ FFEH/ FFE ceramic emitters. For additional costs these products can be fitted with TcK or non-TcK elements, please contact sales@ceramicx.com for more information.

Max Wattages (PAS 1- PAS 5): 650W- 3250W