Epcon Admin

Improving Efficiency and Sustainability in Composites Bonding

A new system comprising a curing oven, regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), and secondary and tertiary heat exchangers can help reduce operating costs while ensuring the safe removal of volatile organic compounds during composite bonding processes.

Using this system significantly reduces a plant’s operating costs in terms of natural gas and electricity demands due to its highly efficient process integration and the optimal control system. Most importantly, this integrated system is designed to ensure that the gases discharged into the atmosphere meet stringent air quality standards at all times.

For more information, Visit https://epconlp.com

Epcon Admin

Optimizing Process Operations – Epcon

In integrated control system is the most effective way to enhance any complex industrial manufacturing process. A well-designed control system not only ensures greater safety and hazard prevention, but it also allows for precise monitoring for strict operating parameters. While recommended for all industrial process equipment, for some applications, such as metal coil coating, a sophisticated controls system is a critical element for successful production. Process speeds, temperature ranges, airflows, and pressure, as well as air pollution control mechanism, all need to be closely monitored and adjusted for the progressive stages of production.
Epcon Admin

Epcon Winter Newsletter 2021

Epcon is a well-known leader in designing and building Ovens and Oxidizers for Continuous Web Processing applications, where the web can be either steel or aluminum, paper, plastic, fiberglass and/or any composite material.  For this Automotive Industry customer, the challenge was designing a high velocity Oven with forced convection to process 60” wide Steel or Aluminum Web. This system uses our patented technology to integrate the functionality of Oven(s) with the Oxidizer, to increase efficiency, and this system was 100% installed and commissioned on a turnkey basis.

Read more https://mailchi.mp/epconlp/fall2020newsletter-4959186?e=%5bUNIQID

Epcon Admin

Epcon – Over 40 Years Experience & 4000+ Systems Worldwide

Engineering

Epcon Industrial Systems Designs and Manufactures Process Heating Equipment, Air Pollution Control, and Specialty Systems.

Manufacturing

Custom Engineered with Advanced Heat Recovery Methods and Patented Technology to Optimize Operations.

Maintenance

Providing Across Industries & Applications. Our team Delivers Quality Systems, Complete with Lifetime Service & Maintenance.

Check Epcon full page AD on Page 4 –

https://digital.bnpmedia.com/publication/?m=10591&i=691628&p=4&oly_enc_id=7432I5783801A2B

Epcon Admin

How to Optimize, Control & Monitor your Process Remotely?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every customer has specific equipment design requirements, and those requirements significantly affect the process control demands. Therefore, our control systems are highly flexible and adjustable to meet customers’ specific needs. Although designs vary from system to system, the following facts are standard for our control systems: highest accuracy, minimal delays, friendly, easy-to-use user interface, and safety as the priority.

The primary function of all Ovens and Furnaces is temperature precision. That is why we use several thermocouples at different places in the Ovens and Furnaces to detect the temperature inside the heating equipment, to ensure uniformity across all sections. The accomplishment of uniform temperature distribution in the Oven or Furnace is indeed an art that combines science and engineering. We successfully design systems for the most stringent operating parameters, where all sections of the unit are within 5 °F range.

As part of the engineering and system design process, Epcon’s team determines the appropriate number of re-circulating and exhaust fans with dampers, and vacuum ports, along with their size and positioning based on the processing unit’s required capacity and operating parameters, with details provided by the customer. The RPM of each fan and dampers’ percentage openings are automatically adjusted to meet the set criteria, enable constant airflow, and maintain the processing unit’s set pressure. The complex programmed control algorithm secures the optimized process at all times with the highest feasible thermal efficiency.

In addition, Epcon installs flow sensors throughout the air and gas process stream within the industrial process. The highest accuracy actuator automatically regulates air’s and gas’ flow based on user demand. Our custom programmed algorithm enables users to enter their target oxygen percentage directly, and the actuator will adjust the flows accordingly. Another manipulative variable that users may adapt in real-time is natural gas pressure since our PLC panel enables the compressors’ control based on the pressure transmitter response.

Most industrial boiler manufacturers utilize Siegert’s Formula as the combustion efficiency model to express the natural gas combustion process’s quality and take that value as the relevant one for the whole heating process. The issue with this model is that it is not 100% accurate as it only involves the temperature of air combustion and stack temperature besides the natural gas quality coefficient. The boundary-value of thermal efficiency that every Oven and Furnace must reach is 90%. The thermal efficiency calculation that we utilize includes the highly accurate temperature-dependent specific heat capacities of the materials that are heated. Therefore, all heat losses, even the minor ones such as ones by radiation and the loss in the insulation layer, are accounted for in the model we use. Before transportation of the equipment to customers, our team performs the final testing to ensure your equipment operations are as efficient as possible and operates exactly as designed.

Epcon Industrial Systems provides custom-designed Allen Bradley ContolLogix Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) with Panel-view plus that includes the following:

  1. HMI Rockwell Factory Talk View Site Edition Station Unlimited Display
  2. 120 V digital output modules for controlling all manipulative variables
  3. 120 V digital input modules for signals monitoring
  4. Analog input modules 
  5. Thermocouple modules
  6. 10% of spare I/O points for eventual further additions of the control system
  7. Software with graphic display

For cases of abrupt loss of power supply, we provide the uninterruptible back up power source for the 120V control circuit to operate PLC and operator interface for 60 minutes. The UPS represents a real online model with field-replaceable maintenance-free batteries.

The PLC is connected to an HMI Rockwell Factory Talk View Site Edition Station Unlimited Display. Epcon team installs and verifies the HMI software functionality on the customer-provided computer during the heating unit installation. A user-friendly interface allows the operator to define 25 cycle descriptions and several key operating steps within the process.

The issue with entering operating parameters manually between sessions is that it leaves space for human error. Still, more importantly, it causes delays in process’ stages. For example, if the operator needs 10 seconds to enter the new parameters between process stages and the process possesses 12 different stages, the result is 2 minutes, where the system does not run according to design, which is unacceptable in modern industrial production.

Usage of the digital input and output model enables minimal delays in transferring information in both ways, to and from the software. Another great advantage of the digital modules is that the process data is permanently stored. Data acquisition software is provided for customer-defined operating parameters. In that way, besides real-time monitoring, users can analyze the process at any point in the past time.

Another key function of the systems controls is safety and hazard prevention. We ensure all our equipment meets strict OSHA operating standards by programming a system shut down immediately if one of the following requirements is fulfilled:

  1. Oven or Furnaces door open with inner temperature over 150°F (Door switch)
  2. Heating units over-temperature state
  3. Heating/Recirculation chamber over-temperature condition
  4. Loss of airflow of each fan (airflow switch)
  5. PLC failure   

Additional requirements are considered according to process specifications, however these basic safety measures are built into every Process Heating unit that Epcon delivers.

When designing a control system, it is a priority to include features that allow operators to monitor system accuracy, and make real-time adjustments, while guaranteeing basic safety and hazard prevention.

Visit us at https://epconlp.com for more details.

Epcon Admin

Who can design integrated VOC solutions to reduce costs and increase efficiencies?

 

 

 

 

 

Epcon has been providing Air Pollution Control Systems for the Chemical Industries for over 40 years. As Flares and emissions regulations strengthen in the US, our team at Epcon is here to help design integrated VOC solutions that help reduce operating cost and increase production efficiencies.
Contact us today to assess your Industrial Equipment needs!

Epcon Admin

Who can provide the latest design control systems for batch Ovens?

Many manufacturing applications and processes require temperatures and other operating parameters in an industrial oven or furnace to be controlled accurately, in real-time with minimal delays. A metal curing process for example, often requires the curing of adhesives or various polymers materials and their bonding to the metal surface, a highly temperature-sensitive process. The temperature affects the reaction kinetics and, more importantly, the atomic structure of the particular substance. The conversions of the atomic structure configurations occur at a specific temperature, and reaching the nearest temperature to target one is essential for manufacturing durable and high strength materials.

One of the most troublesome issues in industrial Oven and Furnace applications is maintaining the target temperature uniformly across all oven sections. The excessive production demands and the cost of high quality products are followed by overwhelming operating costs, especially in the aerospace industry. It is critical for production to have a reliable and precise thermal treatment with every batch. Manufacturers must apply the curing process to smaller production parts to ensure that the material’s target tensile strength and durability are reached. Since the curing process often represents the production process’s bottleneck, there is a need for investment into multiple ovens that will make up for excessive retention times and enable continuous production.

During its over 40+ years in business, Epcon Industrial Systems continues to invent solutions that meet a variety of customer’s needs, which implies the highest quality production of parts with accurate control of operating parameters and real-time monitoring.

The curing process is often highly demanding in terms of the need for multiple sessions with different retention times and operating conditions. The issue with entering operating parameters manually between sessions is that it leaves a space for a human error, but more importantly, it causes operational delays between process’ stages The production of airplane parts needs a highly-controlled production environment to ensure that part will remain stable at variable pressures and extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.

Epcon Industrial Systems designs custom PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) that directly controls the oven operation, including all fans, vacuum manifolds, and electric heaters. The oven control system is designed specifically to satisfy complex batch process operational requirements.

The control system allows operators to monitor the oven via air thermocouples or individual thermocouples using multiple thermocouples for redundancy. The oven is commonly supplied with 4 ”J” type thermocouples that continuously monitor the temperature in all parts of the chamber. According to customers’ needs, the number of thermocouples and their positioning may be modified during the engineering process for the best operating scenario by Epcon’s engineering team.

These thermocouples shall be permanently installed in the oven through the oven walls. High sensor sensitivity at various air humidities and temperatures is enabled using the thermocouples in the form of sheathed grounded junction elements with industrial protection head. The thermocouple I/O points on the PLC are wired to a control panel. The PLC I/O modules are designed so that separate outputs such as RPM of the fans’ motors and damping actuators are programmed to act according to the one particular thermocouple’s response, making an energy-optimized system at all times.

The firm proof that this type of control configuration is indeed the optimal solution for large batch curing ovens is its recent application in the Aerospace industry. Epcon Industrial Systems designed the system and tested with 50 thermocouples at different places within the large capacity oven. During the testing, all thermocouples registered temperatures within 5 °F from the set temperature, showing the uniform temperature distribution in all chambers sections.

Another addition in the oven was a unique precise rotating device to rotate to Rocket Motor Casing during the curing process.  The rotating device was run by a rotation system servo motor drive, interfaced with PLC and operated from Panel-View. The rotating device’s addition significantly contributes to equal exposure of all product parts to the direct air stream, ensuring the highest quality of every millimeter of the product unit.

Visit us at https://epconlp.com

Epcon Admin

Reach Profit Targets by Customizing Your Industrial Equipment

For any industrial manufacturing facility, customizing an Industrial Oven or Furnace is one of the best ways to reduce operating costs and enhance productivity. When re-engineering your process heating equipment it is very important to carefully select an experienced company that can assess all design criteria and operating parameters.

Epcon has over 43 years of experience providing industries with custom-engineered and designed Industrial Ovens and Furnaces.

No matter how complex or the size of the project, our engineering and the design team are fully equipped to turn your concept into reality. As a turnkey operation, we offer all necessary services under one roof, including custom engineering, 3D modeling and simulations, manufacturing, testing and commissioning, as well as ongoing maintenance and after sales support. Epcon has the experience of designing and building over 4000 systems for large, mid-sized and small companies around the globe

Epcon’s in-depth technical competence combined with a fully equipped, 250,000 square foot onsite manufacturing facility ensures customers achieve the desired performance and profitability from their systems. Epcon is a reputed name in Process Heating equipment manufacturing, known for providing custom Industrial Ovens and Furnaces. No two operations are the same, and that is why Epcon works with our customers to provide the best system to optimize their unique process needs. Whether its batch, conveyorized or automated systems, Epcon will assess your operating needs and deliver the highest quality, most efficient process heating equipment available.

From concept to completion, Epcon delivers quality equipment that meets and exceeds our customer’s needs while also meeting stringent environmental requirements.

Epcon’s engineering and the manufacturing team have years of experience in providing Air Pollution Control Technology, specifically Thermal Oxidizers.

Epcon’s systems are highly energy efficient and the following systems could be employed for the destruction of   VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), the contaminants in the exhaust coming out of a process

Recuperative Thermal Oxidizers, Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers (RTOs), Catalytic Oxidizers and Direct Fired Thermal Oxidizers, all achieving high levels of VOC destruction and maintaining emission levels below regulatory standards.

Epcon’s expertise lies in the integration of the customer’s process heating operations with Thermal Oxidizer requirements.  During the oxidation process, inclusion of heat recovery ensures lot of cost savings by minimizing operating fuel usage. Our team not only has in-depth knowledge about the products, but also about the industries and applications to deliver quality performance that will exceed expectations. The list of process that utilize our technology includes coil coating operations, paint finishing systems, chemical processing, wastewater treatment and many more!

Contact Epcon https://epconlp.com to get quotes for your Process Heating and Air Pollution Control Equipment requirements.

Epcon Admin

Improve your Process Heating Equipment Design by an Experienced Industrial Oven & Furnace Company

Throughout industrial manufacturing processes in general, industrial Ovens and Furnaces are the most commonly used equipment. They serve a wide variety of purposes such as drying, burn-off, curing, annealing, pre-heating, heat treating, and the list continues. The different types, sizes and configurations of industrial oven and furnace designs varies based on the required application and operating parameters.  While there many industrial equipment suppliers available in the market, only handful have the right engineering capabilities along with onsite manufacturing to provide optimized custom equipment. From concept to completion; all systems are designed, manufactured, and tested under one roof.

Choosing an experienced company ensures that you have the level of expertise as well as right technology to handle projects of any size, as well as complexity. For over 40 years Epcon has been custom engineering, designing and manufacturing a wide variety of industrial Ovens and Furnaces across industries and applications. It’s critical to combine technical competence with the resources available to meet the performance and profit objectives of the end user.

With each system designed to meet the customer’s specific process requirements, and with the majority of our business being repeat business, Epcon has a long list of happy and satisfied customers.

Our engineers work closely with our customer’s production and engineering team to develop the perfect system tailored to your unique process. Every production line is different, and understanding the customized needs allows us to fully optimize the Ovens and Furnaces; many of our systems also save the customer money by capturing and recycling the thermal energy in the process stream for other uses in the overall system.

At Epcon, a wide range of engineering services utilize the latest thermal dynamics modeling and 3-D rendering programs to test and model the equipment design to ensure the system is engineered to exceed our customer’s operating requirement.

The technical staff at Epcon not only has in-depth knowledge but also an expertise about the industries they are serving. This profound knowledge helps customer make the right decisions from the beginning of the project. Epcon’s engineers utilize technically advanced software, ensuring the custom design for each system is not only accurate, but will perform successfully for years to come.

Contact us today https://epconlp.com to see how we can help you meet your operational goals!

Epcon Admin

Transitions of Power Are Difficult. What Joe Biden and Other Incoming Leaders Need to Know.

 

The strained presidential transition facing President-elect Joe Biden probably rings true for many CEOs and other #business leaders stepping into new positions of power. HBS interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, an #expert on leadership and change, discusses the challenges confronting Biden and #leaders who find themselves in similar situations.

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