Temperature Control for Manufacturing and Industrial Processes

Temperature control isn’t just limited to at home kilns. Many manufacturing and industrial processes rely on changes in temperature.

Today, we’ll be looking at industrial kilns, furnaces, and commercial ovens to explore how temperature control is different for these types of kilns. Plus, we’ll be providing tips and insights for how manufacturers, waste processors, and other companies can efficiently control temperature in an industrial setting.

Manufacturing and Industrial Processes that Rely on Temperature Control

If you look around your house, chances are most of the things around you required some form of heat treatment to reach their finished state.

From jewelry and kitchenware to your TV remote, the ceramic, metal, and plastic objects you use were most likely fired in a kiln or oven. When you take out the trash or put bottles in recycling, a lot of your household waste is processed by an industrial furnace.

Below are just a few of the areas of your day-to-day life that are made possible by temperature control:

• Ceramic: Tableware, pottery, tile, and other ceramic products
• Glass: Windows, sheet glass, drinkware, bottles, mirrors, and glass decorations
• Construction and Building Materials Manufacturing: Brick, tiles, windows, machinery, tools, and other building materials
• Metal Processing and Manufacturing: Knifemaking, jewelry, silverware manufacturing, and more
• Plastic Processing and Manufacturing: Bottles, plastic cups, food packaging, and other plastic household items
• Food Industry: Dry, cooked, and processed food
• Waste Processing: Incineration, recycling, and energy recovery
• Medical: Medical equipment and pharmaceutical labs
• Automotive: Car parts and interior components
• Electronic: Components, wires, chips, microprocessors, and more

Explore Different Applications for Temperature Controllers That Go Beyond Art!

The Unique Requirements of Temperature Control for Manufacturing Processes

Compared to at home kilns, commercial kilns and ovens are typically larger, more powerful, and designed to process large quantities of material. These kilns are often permanently installed and capable of reaching extremely high temperatures.

While the principles of temperature control stay the same, these unique use cases require unique capabilities. Compared to at home or studio applications, temperature control for manufacturing requires:

• A Greater Need for Precision and Consistency: Manufacturers require temperature control solutions that are capable of consistent firings with minimal temperature deviation.
• Precise Temperature Monitoring Capabilities: Manufacturing and industrial processes require more comprehensive kiln monitoring capabilities to ensure consistency.
• Enhanced Safety Features: In industrial settings, kiln safety is paramount for ensuring compliance and employee safety.
• More Scalability: Ideally, temperature control solutions for manufacturing provide scalable solutions that consolidate control for multiple kilns and ovens to a single dashboard.
• Higher Temperature Requirements: Depending on application, ICS kiln controllers need to be able to provide precise control and temperature monitoring at higher temperatures.

All of that might seem like a tall order! However, there are kiln controllers that are designed to help streamline their industrial processes, while providing unprecedented precision.

Applications of TAP Kiln Controllers for Industrial Processes

While some manufacturers use proprietary controllers or clunky temperature controllers from other manufacturers, today, there are better alternatives. The TAP Kiln Control Ecosystem includes features and functionality that make these controllers ideal for managing temperature control for industrial processes.

These features include:

• PID-Driven Precision: TAP Kiln Controllers use PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) control algorithms to ensure maximum accuracy between temperature input and output.
• Consolidated Remote Monitoring: With TAP Kiln Control Mobile, manufacturers can remotely monitor and fully control all of their ovens from a single tablet or smartphone.
• Real-Time Remote Firing Adjustments: Additionally, TAP Kiln Control Mobile empowers real-time remote firing adjustments for greater flexibility.
• Extreme Reliability: TAP Kiln Controllers are built from high-quality components for maximum precision and durability.
• Advanced Diagnostics: Advanced diagnostics, preventative maintenance alerts, and the ability to export firing logs for more in-depth data drives more kiln uptime, fewer firing errors, and more insight into processes.
• Process & Single Setpoint Options: Whether your firings require single setpoint or programmable process controls, SDS Industries offers temperature control options for both.
• Unlimited Firing Schedules: If you use your kilns and ovens for multiple processes, TAP provides you with the option to save and easily access unlimited firing schedules so that you can spend more time on production and less time on programming kilns.
• Enhanced Safety Features: Remote kiln monitoring, real-time alerts, and max temp safety shutoff enhance kiln safety. Additionally, TAP Monitor can be wired to a safety relay to provide safety redundancy to protect your factory in case of relay failure.

How These Features Empower More Productivity and Consistency

For manufacturers and thermal processing companies, these features enable more efficiency and consistency. With centralized controls, advanced diagnostics, and remote capabilities, TAP Controllers improve productivity and minimize firing errors.

Additionally, manufacturers don’t have to decide between these advanced features and ease-of-use. With full-text displays and responsive, durable touchscreen controls, TAP Kiln Controllers are designed so that virtually anybody can pick up and effectively use a TAP Controller.

This emphasis on user experience empowers more peace of mind, flexibility, and faster employee training. Just check out the video below to see how easy it is to use TAP!