Temperature controllers aren’t just used by artists. While most people associate temperature controllers with fusing glass or firing pottery, they can also be used in a wide array of applications that might surprise you.
Today, we’ll be looking at ways to use temperature controllers that go beyond art!
Roasting Coffee
Amazing coffee requires roasting beans to precise setpoints for just the right amount of time. Temperature controllers help coffee roasters ensure the consistency and quality of their roast – even for large batches.
Like other forms of heat treatment, cooldown is especially important for coffee roasters. Some roasters quench their beans in water. Others use air cooling and fans. But it’s important that the beans cool down to room temperature in less than 4–5 minutes to retain the proper flavor.
We’ve worked with several coffee roasters who use TAP Kiln Controllers to power their roasting chambers. With unlimited schedules for different roasts, remote oven control, real-time alerts, and extreme precision, TAP provides these roasters with more consistency and flexibility.
Greenhouses & Hydroponics
Growing is another industry that relies on precise temperature control. Growers often use temperature controllers to manage the temperatures of their greenhouses, hydroponic tanks, or indoor growing systems.
Temperature has a major impact on crop growth stages and plant health. Temperature controllers help ensure optimal growing conditions.
Brewing & Fermentation
Coffee isn’t the only beverage that relies on precise temperature controllers. So does beer!
Brewers use temperature controllers to steep grains, boil the wort, and achieve optimal cooling. Afterwards, during fermentation, temperature control is extremely important. It makes the difference between a crisp, refreshing beverage or compromised batches with unwanted flavors!
Other fermentation processes, like those used for yogurt or kombucha, are also impacted by temperature. Using a temperature controller and a controlled environment yields more consistency.
Controlling Lab Ovens & Incubators
The lab space is unforgiving when it comes to fluctuations in temperature. Changes in temperature can jeopardize samples, alter chemical processes, and impact the outcomes of experiments.
Scientists and pharmacists use temperature controllers to control lab ovens, incubators, vacuum ovens, and lab furnaces to ensure precision, consistency, safety, and compliance.
Additionally, lab ovens are used for drying samples, sterilizing equipment, material testing, curing polymers, and a host of other applications where temperature plays a role.
Manufacturing & Industrial Applications
A wide variety of manufacturing and industrial processes rely on temperature control to create the items you use in day-to-day life.
Temperature controllers are used across a wide variety of industries, such as:
- 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
- Waste Processing: Incineration, recycling, and energy recovery
- Medical: Medical equipment and pharmaceuticals
- Automotive: Car parts and interior components
- Electronic: Components, wires, chips, microprocessors, and more
Advanced ICS controllers regulate temperatures for these systems and provide advanced diagnostics to ensure consistency and precision.
Baking & Food Processing
From kitchen ovens to massive food processing plants, temperature controllers are used for all kinds of culinary processes.
While many ovens use simplistic controls that are similar to single setpoint controllers or even manual oven control, other processes require more sophisticated process controllers.
Learn more about oven controllers at All About Oven Controllers.
Freezing & Refrigeration
While most people associate temperature controllers with heat, they’re also used for the opposite: freezing and refrigeration.
Temperature controllers can be used to set, monitor, and hold freezers and refrigerators at specific temperatures. Additionally, process controllers can provide controlled cooldown or thawing, as well as diagnostic information.
Candle Making & Aromatherapy
Whether you’re making candles or melting wax with fragrance oils, temperature controllers ensure the wax heats up and cools down to the right temperature.
Overheating your wax can cause discoloration, weaker fragrance, loss of structural integrity, and the degradation of additives. It can even pose a fire hazard. Using a temperature controller helps you avoid these pitfalls, while ensuring that you add color and fragrance oils at the perfect temperature.
Industrial Liquid Handling
Various industrial liquids – including oils and chemicals – need to be maintained at precise temperatures during storage and transportation.
Temperature controllers prevent degradation and ensure optimal viscosity.
In these applications, remote temperature monitoring and push notification alerts can be especially important in managing precise temperatures.
Artistic Applications
Finally, we get to the applications most people think of when they think of temperature controllers: Art!
For most mediums that rely on changes in temperatures, temperature controllers are an essential part of the artistic process!
Artistic applications for temperature controllers include:
Power Your Projects with the Most Advanced Temperature Controllers
No matter what type of application you need, we invite you to power your work with the most advanced lineup of temperature controllers on the market today.
With easy-to-use touchscreen controls, remote monitoring and control, and PID-driven precision, the TAP II and TAP II Pro Controllers by SDS Industries provide end-to-end control for roasters, brewers, manufacturers, scientists, artists, and anyone else who needs extreme precision without sacrificing accessibility.
The TAP Ecosystem also includes single setpoint controllers, as well as a digital pyrometer that adds remote temperature monitoring and enhanced safety for any electric kiln or oven with any type of kiln controller.
You can also purchase TAP Digital Controllers or TAP Controlled Knife or Blade 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
Temperature Controllers FAQ
What are the different kinds of temperature controllers?
Different types of controllers are better suited for different applications:
- Manual Controllers: Manual temperature controllers rely on constant user input to effect any changes in temperature. Although less convenient, you can still use manual controllers for applications that require you to hold a kiln, oven, or furnace at a single temperature for a prolonged period of time.
- Single Setpoint Controllers: Single setpoint controllers are ideal for storing materials at a specific setpoint for a prolonged period of time – or for applications like jewelry making or candle making where cooling occurs outside the kiln or oven.
- Process Controllers: Process controllers (also known as automatic controllers, multi-setpoint controllers, or programmable digital controllers) are able to precisely change the temperature of a kiln or oven over periods of time to execute complete firing schedules.
- Single Zone Controller: Single zone controllers heat the entire chamber of a kiln, oven, or furnace to a single, uniform temperature.
- Multi-Zone Controllers: Multi-zone temperature controllers can simultaneously heat different zones of a kiln or oven to specific temperatures.
- Limit Controllers: Limit controllers don’t change the temperature of your kiln or oven; however, they ensure that it safely shuts off if it exceeds a specified temperature. Typically, these are used in conjunction with another type of controller to ensure safety and prevent system failure.
Additionally, these categories of controllers can have different input methods:
- Key-Based Controllers: Key-based controllers are programmed by using keys (or buttons). These controllers typically have small screens, limited diagnostics, and require pressing each key multiple times in specific orders to achieve different functions.
- Touchscreen Controllers: Touchscreen controllers are far more streamlined, simpler to program, and provide operators with more diagnostic information. Using these controllers is similar to using your smartphone.
- Remote Controllers: Remote temperature controllers let you remotely manage your kiln(s) or oven(s) from your smartphone. This functionality is ideal for maintaining precision, avoiding errors, enhancing oven safety, and managing centralized or distributed control systems.
What is a PID controller and why is it important for most temperature control applications?
PID stands for “Proportional Integral Derivative.” PID temperature controllers use a mathematical formula to calculate the difference between the temperature you input on your controller versus the actual temperature of your kiln, furnace, or heat treat oven.
The controller then adjusts the output to compensate for any detected discrepancies, ensuring that the actual temperature is as close to the expected temperature as possible.
This functionality is essential for any artistic or industrial application that relies on maintaining or reaching precise temperatures.
All of the temperature controllers in the TAP Ecosystem use PID control algorithms to ensure maximum precision and minimal errors.
How can I upgrade my temperature controller?
Upgrading your temperature controller is typically a seamless project. However, you’ll need to purchase a controller configuration that corresponds to the kind of controller you’re trying to replace.
- Upgrading Automatic Controllers: For upgrading an automatic controller, you’ll use a conversion kit. These include a matching faceplate and wiring harness so that you can replace your current automatic controller just using a Phillips head screwdriver.
- Upgrading Manual Controllers: For upgrading manual controllers, you’ll use a standalone kiln controller. These include controller housing and a thermocouple, so that you can easily bypass your manual controller and start controlling your oven from the standalone unit.
- DIY Installation or New Builds: For DIY controller installation, you’ll need to purchase a digital controller by itself. However, it will be up to you to use wiring diagrams and splice the wires yourself – so we only recommend this option if you’re an experienced DIYer!
You can shop for all of these temperature controller configurations on our online store – or, if you need help finding the right controller for your application, don’t hesitate to reach out!
