Batch Oven for the United States Air Force
LEWCO, Inc. recently completed a 900°F. electric batch oven for the United States Air Force. The oven is used to anneal up to 3,000 lbs. of various aluminum aircraft parts and will also be used as a curing oven for composite parts. LEWCO provided a complete turnkey installation.
Aerospace manufacturing demands extremely tight specifications for heat-treat ovens. The new annealing oven had to adhere to strict performance requirements for ramp rate (15°F. / minute) and temperature uniformity (+/- 10°F.) at 900°F.
The oven system included a custom load car that is powered via a single strand chain conveyor. The car had to be designed with multiple shelves to hold the various parts, but also still permit airflow to meet temperature uniformity requirements. All conveyor components inside the oven are rated for 1,000°F continuous duty. An electric actuated guillotine door on the oven is integrated to open/close with the load car operation.
LEWCO’s control engineers utilized a standard Honeywell HC900 PLC platform to control the system. This control system includes a 10” touchscreen HMI (Human Machine Interface) and a desktop PC to permanently store data and print reports. The operator has full control of all oven functions from the HMI.
LEWCO, Inc. manufactures a wide variety of industrial ovens and furnaces. Products include batch ovens, conveyor ovens, composite curing ovens, annealing ovens, and drum ovens as well as high temperature furnaces. Our products are employed in aerospace, automotive, primary metals, chemical, and numerous other manufacturing industries. At LEWCO, Inc. we focus on customer value; quality products, on-time, at a competitive price.
