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Wirtz – Curing Chamber – Model AC-255

Wirtz – Curing Chamber – Model AC-255

Customized to your footprint and optimized to your exothermic reaction
Our curing chambers and components are sized to optimize the cycle times while obtaining the best results for crystallization, porosity, and moisture. The design of our system is modular and scalable. We can customize it to match your plates, pallet sizes, and factory foot print. Airflow is from one side to the other. Goals are to optimize the bond between paste and grid and to create the pathways for full utilization of the active material.

Wirtz Technology:

The parameters we control for every cycle are:

  • Humidity
  • Temperature (gas or electric burner)
  • Air Flow (recirculated and fresh intake)
  • Process Time

The curing chambers are designed to control the humidity and the temperature during exothermic reaction phase to oxidize the metallic lead and bond the paste to the grid. Curing takes place at between 40 to 80 oC and at 90 to 100% RH. Cycles range from 16 to 24 hours depending on your specifications.

The drying cycle is to remove the humidity from the plate as fast as possible but without burning the plate or collapsing the porosity. Drying temperatures do not exceed 75 oC and with low RH. Cycles range from 10 to 24 hours depending on your specifications.

Constructed of stainless steel interior and carbon steel exterior with 4 inches of insulation. A skeleton structure is used to reinforce chamber walls and roof. The design allows for additional chambers to be added in a modular assembly utilizing an existing side wall as a common wall. The chamber is designed to hold 50 pallets of plates, 5 high by 5 deep, by 2 wide.

The standard curing chamber includes an automatic fabric roll up door. An individual electric panel type nema 12 is located on the front of the oven. The Model AC255 Curing Chamber is capable of curing and drying for both tetrabasic and tribasic crystals in less time due to enhanced air handling and increased air volume. The chamber design includes full side wall air plenums on both side walls to control air flow across the single wide pallets of plates which provides consistent curing throughout the chamber, and from batch to batch.

All functions of the chamber are controlled by a PLC, sized for up to 4 cure chambers.

A variable adjustable exhaust damper automatically controls chamber humidity to programmed preset limits.

A supply fan automatically adds outside air for cooling to control peak chamber temperatures due to variations in the exothermic reactions.

Atomized water is introduced for humidification for tribasic applications.

Steam humidification is optional for high temperature tetrabasic applications

AIR FLOW PLENUMS

The Wirtz curing chambers are designed so that every plate sees the same air flow. Our chambers are balanced so that there is virtually no temperature and humidity variations.

PRE-MANUFACTURED PANELS

The Wirtz curing chambers are designed and constructed with pre-manufactured stainless steel panels that contain 4 inches of thermal insulation inside. They are designed to interlock together during the construction of the chamber at the customer’s facility.

WATER MIST NOZZLES

Relative Humidity and temperature control are the keys to forming good paste to grid bond and conversion of free lead. We design our chambers to your cycle requirements up to 100% RH.

PRODUCTION:
The chamber is designed to hold 50 pallets of plates, 5 high by 5 deep, by 2 wide. Cycle times are designed to meet customer requirements. Cycles range from 10 to 24 hours depending on your specifications.
GRID SIZE CAPACITY:
Suitable for both automotive and industrial applications.

*These are very general specification and will change based on the exact configuration of the system that is ordered.

Electrical:

(Supply: built to customer specifications)

Compressed Air:

10 m3/hr (Supply 200 kPa)

Ventilation – Exhaust

10,000 m3/hr (system equipped with blower)

Process Water:

25 L/hr (Supply 200 kPa at 50° C)