If you’re new to heat treatment or it’s your first time using a kiln controller, you may find yourself asking: What is a setpoint? Or, if you’re a little more familiar with the topic, you may be looking to find more information about different types of setpoint controls.
Don’t worry! After reading this article, you’ll have a better understanding of setpoint temperatures and setpoint controls.
Setpoint Definition: What is a Setpoint?
Before exploring different setpoint control options, it’s important to understand what a setpoint is first. Broadly speaking, in a control system, the setpoint is the measurable value you want the system to achieve.
For kilns or heat treat ovens, that measurable value is temperature. The setpoint is the desired temperature you want the kiln or oven to reach. In a firing schedule, there may be multiple setpoints for multiple steps. Or, for many heat treat processes involving metal, there may only be a single setpoint.
Either way, making sure your kiln or oven reaches its setpoint temperature is crucial for achieving the desired effect!
Setpoint Controls: Making Sure Your Kiln Reaches the Right Setpoint Temperatures
For a kiln or heat treat oven, setpoint controls are executed through the kiln controller.
If you’re still using a manual controller or a kiln sitter, you’ll have to manually adjust the temperature of the kiln to change the setpoint for each step. If you’re using an advanced programmable digital kiln controller, such as TAP or TAP II Pro by SDS Industries, then things get significantly easier. You input the setpoints for each step in advance when you’re creating your schedule – and the controller executes each step automatically.
Additionally, setpoint controls can be multi-setpoint or single setpoint. Multi-setpoint controllers let you input multiple setpoint temperatures and hold times for multiple segments of a kiln firing temperature. Single setpoint controllers, such as SDS Industries’ TAP&Go, let you input a single setpoint temperature. This type of kiln controller can be a convenient, cost-effective solution for controlling heat treat furnaces.
Learn more about different setpoint control methods at Kiln Controls: Exploring Different Kiln Control Methods.
The TAP Ecosystem: Simplifying Setpoint Controls
When we released the original TAP Controller in 2015, our goal was to create a kiln controller that could precisely execute setpoint controls – while making it super easy for artists to input, edit, and manage setpoints.
At the time, we revolutionized the kiln control industry by introducing precise touchscreen controls and intuitive, easy-to-use menus. A year later, we released TAP Kiln Control Mobile, which lets you fully control every aspect of your kiln firings – including editing your setpoint temperature – right from your smartphone!
All of the setpoint controllers in the TAP Kiln Control Ecosystem are designed based on the principles of simplicity and precision – and all of the controllers include integration with TAP Kiln Control Mobile. The video below walks you through schedule management – including how to enter setpoints – for the TAP II Kiln Controller:
Explore Setpoint Controllers by SDS Industries
The TAP II and TAP II Pro Kiln Controllers by SDS Industries provide artists the most advanced, precise, and easy-to-use setpoint controls on the market today. With responsive touchscreen controls, an intuitive graphical UI, and integration with the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app, TAP Setpoint Controllers can pair with any relay-controlled kiln or oven.
We invite you to explore our selection of programmable kiln controllers, standalones, and conversion kits on our online store. You can also purchase TAP Digital Controllers or TAP Controlled Kilns and Heat Treat Ovens through one of the following distributors:
- Evenheat
- Hot Shot Oven & Kiln
- Paragon Kilns
- Mobile Glassblowing Studios, LLC
- Jen-Ken Kilns
- Kiln Frog
- Sheffield Pottery
- Delphi Glass
Setpoint Controls FAQ
How are setpoint controls different for ceramics, glass and heat treat?
Setpoints vary for different types of media – as well as for different types of materials within the same general medium.
Ceramic Setpoints
For ceramics, firing setpoints range from 1112°F all the way up to 2552°F (600°C – 1400°C). You can check out this ceramic firing chart to see how those setpoints correspond with pyrometric cones.
Firing schedules for ceramic are almost always multi-setpoint, meaning that the kiln will have to progress through different steps with different setpoints.
While you can fire ceramics with manual kiln or a kiln sitter, an automatic controller makes life a lot easier!
Glass Setpoints
For glass, setpoints determine to what extent glass liquefies, changes shape, and fuses to other layers. Setpoints for 90 COE glass range from 900°F for annealing to 1600°F for pot melting (482°C – 871°C).
This glass firing chart outlines setpoints for different glass art techniques.
Like ceramics, glass schedules are almost always multi-setpoint – except they require even more precision. Using an automatic process controller – like TAP II and TAP II Pro – is key to ensuring your project turns out the way you envision.
Heat Treat Setpoints
Different alloys and metals for heat treat have drastically different critical temperatures – ranging from 1350°F for sterling silver to 2375°F for T2 tungsten (732°C – 1302°C).
Setpoint temperatures – both for heating and cooldown – also vary by technique. So make sure to do research about the material you’re working with!
However, for heat treat, firing schedules are single setpoint. You heat the alloy up to a specific temperature, then remove it from your oven and cool it down at different rates. For these types of applications, a single setpoint controller – like TAP&Go by SDS Industries – is perfect for the job.
Where can I find more information about firing schedules and kiln firing temperatures?
At SDS Industries, we’re committed to sharing resources to help artists learn more about firing schedules and setpoint temperatures.
We highly recommend checking out these articles:
- Ceramic Firing Chart: Kiln Firing Chart for Pottery and Ceramics [Infographic]
- Glass Firing Chart: 9 Steps for Glass Firing Art [Plus Examples!]
- Firing Schedules: Understanding Kiln Firing Schedules for Glass, Ceramics, Pottery, and Heat Treat
- Firing Schedules for Bisque: Firing Schedules for Bisque
- Programming a Kiln Controller: How to Use a Programmable Digital Kiln Controller
How do TAP Kiln Controllers ensure that kilns and heat treat ovens reach the right firing temperature?
There are two core design principles behind all of the controllers in the TAP Ecosystem: Precision and Ease-of-Use.
To ensure precision, TAP Controllers use what’s known as a PID control algorithm. PID stands for “Proportional Integral Derivative.” This means that TAP Controllers monitor inputs from the kiln’s thermocouple and adjust power outputs until the kiln’s actual chamber temperature matches the setpoint temperature the controller was programmed to.
This ensures more precision and fewer firing errors – one of the many features that sets TAP apart from other kiln controller manufacturers!
