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Oven Temperature Profiling

Within the protective coatings industry, it is becoming increasingly more popular to use powder coatings. If the coating being applied is a powder coating, then a specific temperature is required for a specified period during curing. If the temperature is too high, the coating may burn. If it is too cold, then the coating will not cure, which leads to poor adhesion and appearance.

An oven logger is a data logging device with several connections for thermocouples. It is placed in a box which protects it from the high temperatures involved and passes through the oven with the thermocouples attached to the components to record the temperature of the component and confirm enough heat is applied to cure the coating.

Whilst the gauge used is known as an oven logger, it is not the oven temperature, per se, that is the critical measurement, but the temperature of the component.

Not all components are alike and there is rarely a uniform density. This means that the oven temperature settings, if not adjusted to suit the component being coated, may overheat and/or underheat a component. This can lead to coating burns and/or curing issues of the powder coating.

Oven data loggers, such as the Elcometer 215 Oven Data Logger, are designed to monitor up to 6 temperature points. This not only determines the oven temperature but also the component temperature as it passes through the oven, ensuring the powder coating cures correctly. 

Data Management

ElcoMaster® is free, easy-to-use data management software ideal for the management and assessment of temperature profile.

ElcoMaster® allows the user to create and store unique oven profile setups; name each of the six channels; set sampling rates, number of batch runs and start/stop triggers and transfer them to the oven data logger. When one or more runs have been recorded, the data can be downloaded to ElcoMaster® via USB. 

Using the industry accepted cure value calculation; ElcoMaster® also provides instant pass/fail information by comparing the production run temperature to the coating supplier’s cure requirements. 

Different powder types can be created and stored in ElcoMaster® by simply entering the cure schedule into the software, creating a custom ‘paint’. This can be downloaded into the logger, ready for batch logging. 

Professional inspection reports in seconds

At the press of a button, ElcoMaster® produces fully customisable reports, including the coating type and temperature curve, together with the duration of the drying process at the maximum and minimum cross-linking temperatures. The report will show the probes, the duration of the process and the probe positions. It will also display a simple cure pass/fail calculation from the collected data. The product data sheet, product images and graphics can also be incorporated for a professional, easy-to-read report.