Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-12 Origin: Site
Behind efficient drying lies precise energy matching and deep technological integration
In today's rapidly developing printing industry, production efficiency and product quality are at the core of enterprise competitiveness. Traditional hot air drying methods increasingly fail to meet the modern printing industry's demands for high efficiency and quality. Infrared heating technology, particularly infrared lamps for ink drying, is becoming the new industry standard with its unique advantages.
This article explores the application of infrared heating technology in ink drying, revealing its working principles, significant benefits, and how to select suitable industrial infrared lamps.
Infrared drying is a heating technology that utilizes electromagnetic waves. The infrared radiation emitted by infrared heating lamps is absorbed by inks and substrates, converting into heat energy to achieve drying and curing. Unlike traditional heating methods, infrared doesn't require heating air but acts directly on the material itself, resulting in higher energy utilization efficiency.
Research shows that infrared radiation penetrates ink to a depth of approximately 0.1-0.2 mm, meaning radiation can act on the entire ink film layer, achieving almost simultaneous heating from surface to interior. This heating method promotes solvent evaporation and accelerates ink molecule curing, significantly reducing drying time.
Compared with traditional hot air drying, industrial infrared lamps offer multiple advantages in ink drying applications:
High Efficiency and Energy Saving: Far-infrared radiation drying reduces heat loss through convection and conduction, achieving high energy utilization. Data shows that after converting general heating tunnels to far-infrared tunnels, installed power can be reduced by 30%-45%.
Exceptional Drying Quality: Infrared radiation heating is uniform, avoiding uneven surface heating and effectively preventing defects such as pinholes, bubbling, and streaking.
Significantly Improved Production Efficiency: Infrared drying technology enables instant start and stop, requiring no preheating time, greatly shortening production cycles. In some applications, drying time can be reduced from hours to just minutes or even seconds.
High Space Utilization: Infrared drying equipment is compact and easily integrated into existing production lines, saving valuable production space.
The following table compares key performance indicators between traditional hot air drying and infrared drying:
| Performance Indicator | Traditional Hot Air Drying | Infrared Drying | Improvement Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Utilization Rate | 30%-50% | 60%-90% | Up to 100% |
| Drying Time | Minutes to hours | Seconds to minutes | Reduced by 50%-90% |
| Equipment Footprint | Large | Small | Reduced by 30%-60% |
| Temperature Control Precision | ±5°C | ±1°C | Improved 5-fold |
| Startup Preheating Requirement | Required | Not required | 100% improvement |
Table: Performance comparison between infrared drying and traditional hot air drying
Infrared lamps for ink drying technology has been widely used in various printing and industrial scenarios:
JetCURE IR is a typical air-cooled infrared module specifically designed for drying water-based printing inks and coatings. Its intensity reaches up to 300 kW/m², with a radiation width of 520 mm (20 inches), making it ideal for integration next to or between inkjet print heads.
Ink drying on the surface of injection molded overmolded parts has always been challenging. An innovative method combines infrared lamp tubes and hot air technology: first irradiate the ink surface with an infrared lamp for 2-5 seconds, then use a hot air blower at 45-75°C to dry for 8-13 seconds, significantly improving drying efficiency and adhesion.
For special effect inks like UV ice pattern ink, combining infrared and ultraviolet light sources achieves ideal results: 25-35 seconds of infrared light followed by 10-20 seconds of ultraviolet radiation immediately reveals the ice pattern effect and completes curing.
In the PCB industry, infrared technology is used not only for drying inks but also for sintering printed circuit wires, demonstrating its reliability and precision in精密电子制造.
Selecting the appropriate industrial infrared lamps is crucial for optimizing the drying process. Here are the key considerations:
Wavelength Matching: Different inks have different absorption characteristics for infrared. Research shows that several common inks strongly absorb far-infrared radiation energy in the 3.4-3.6μm band. Brands like Hoenle offer infrared tubes in various wavelength ranges, including NIR (near-infrared), short-wave, medium-wave, and fast medium-wave types.
Power Density: Select the appropriate power density according to the drying task requirements. For example, JetCURE IR provides intensities up to 300 kW/m², suitable for high-speed drying needs.
Configuration Flexibility: Modern infrared drying systems like JetCURE IR can be configured as pure IR dryers or IR/hot air hybrid dryers, allowing flexible switching based on different application needs.
Cooling Method: Air-cooled infrared modules (like JetCURE IR) are suitable for temperature-sensitive applications, preventing substrate overheating.
Control Precision: Choose systems with continuous infrared power control功能 to precisely adapt to process requirements.
The following table shows the characteristics of different types of infrared tubes and their applicable scenarios:
| Lamp Type | Filament Temperature | Characteristics | Suitable Scenarios |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIR Lamps | ~3,000 K | High energy, rapid heating | High-speed drying, thick film inks |
| Short-Wave IR Lamps | ~2,300 K | Fast response, high power density | Inkjet printing, water-based inks |
| Medium-Wave IR Lamps | ~900 K | Even heating, gentle drying | Heat-sensitive materials, plastic substrates |
| Fast Medium-Wave IR Lamps | ~1,600 K | Balanced response and penetration | Universal drying for various inks and substrates |
Table: Characteristics and applicable scenarios of different types of infrared tubes (Data source)
The economic benefits of investing in an industrial infrared lamp system are obvious:
Reduced Energy Costs: Due to higher thermal efficiency, far-infrared tunnels consume 30%-45% less energy than traditional tunnels.
Improved Production Efficiency: Significantly shortened drying times mean production line speeds can increase, boosting output. In some applications, production speed can be increased by up to 200%.
Lower Quality Costs: As drying is more uniform and precisely controlled, product defect rates are significantly reduced, lowering scrap and rework rates.
Low Maintenance Costs: Infrared heating systems have a relatively simple structure, no complex airflow systems, require less maintenance, and have long lifespans. Some industrial infrared lamps from Philips can last up to 5000 hours.
As technology continues to advance, the application of infrared heating technology in the field of ink drying is also constantly evolving:
Intelligent Control Systems: New-generation infrared drying systems integrate more precise temperature sensors and feedback mechanisms for more accurate energy output control.
Hybrid Technologies: Hybrid systems combining infrared, ultraviolet, and hot air technologies to meet more complex drying needs.
Energy Efficiency Optimization: Continuous improvement of reflector design and emitter materials to improve energy utilization efficiency.
Customized Solutions: Develop dedicated infrared drying solutions for specific application scenarios, such as low-temperature curing systems for flexible electronic printing.
Infrared lamps for ink drying have become an indispensable part of the modern printing industry. Their efficiency, energy saving, and precision make them excel in various application scenarios, from traditional screen printing to high-tech electronic circuit manufacturing.
By selecting appropriate industrial infrared lamps and optimizing drying processes, enterprises can significantly improve production efficiency, reduce energy costs, and enhance product quality. As technology continues to advance, infrared heating technology will undoubtedly play an even more important role in the future of industrial drying.
Investing in high-quality infrared heating lamp systems is not only a wise decision to enhance current production capabilities but also lays a solid foundation for the transition to future Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing.
