Carbon Infrared Heaters

High heating efficiency and rapid cool down make the mediumwave infrared carbon heater from Heraeus the only medium-wave heater to offer response times comparable to shortwave lamps.

Carbon infrared heater

Suitable for all medium-wave applications, this heater also allows the user to match temperatures to the optimal absorption wavelength for each application. Together, these features eliminate overheating and contamination of sensitive substrates, a critical consideration for many applications.

A great deal of medium wave radiation is absorbed in water, solvents and plastics and converted into heat. This allows significant benefits. For example, carbon heaters are very effective for drying of printing inks; because the radiation acts more intensively on the ink, there is less stress on the paper. The high power heater increases print drying speed and reduces drying time. For plastics and glass applications, efficient Heraeus medium wave technology heats in a targeted manner, with less heating of the surrounding environment.

Heraeus Carbon IR heaters have a unique filament design that combines the versatile medium-wave spectral emission with very short reaction times of just seconds. They are made with high-quality quartz tubes and gold reflectors for high efficiency. The unique Heraeus "Figure 8" Twin Tube design gives Heraeus carbon lamps higher power densities and good mechanical stability. Round tube designs are also available.

Heraeus Carbon IR heaters are also available as complete IR systems.

Efficiency: Radiation Intensity and Absorption

Radiation Intensity and Absorption
  • Various types of infrared heaters have different maximum output at different wavelengths -- Halogen IR heaters at 1 µm, Carbon heaters at about 2.5 µm. Therefore at 3 µm the High Power Carbon heater provides three times the irradiance of a Halogen heater. See the chart below.
  • Only that part of the spectrum which covers the absorption curve of water is effective for the drying process -- not the whole infrared radiation. The infrared radiation of the Carbon heater is almost ideally matched to the absorption spectrum of water. In comparison, only a small fraction of short wave radiation covers the absorption curve. In other words, the greater part of the energy of short wave infrared radiation is wasted.
  • The result is: A short wave heater at the same power density supplies less than 50 % of the power of a carbon heater in drying processes. For example, at an irradiation of 120 watts/in2, the effective power density of a carbon heater is around 28 watts/m2; that of a short wave heater is around 14 watts/in2.

Carbon Infrared Twin Heater

Carbon infrared heater designs

The Carbon Twin heater from Heraeus Noblelight offers maximum power density -- twice that of conventional twin tube heaters. It's perfect for a vast array of applications including:

  • fast drying of water-based inks and coatings,
  • economical processing of plastics and glass.

Twin tube carbon heaters can be easily retrofitted into existing infrared systems. They replace the existing heaters, improve the system and decrease the running costs. carbon-twin In the medium wave range, Heraeus offers tailor-made twin tube heaters or carbon round tube heaters of especially high efficiency. The synergistic combination of these proven technologies allows great advantages for your process.

Common to both types of heaters is the medium wave spectrum. Many materials are especially receptive to infrared waves from this region of the light spectrum. The use of infrared heaters therefore contributes to the accelerated drying of water and other solvents and to economical processing of plastics and glass.

Heraeus' proven twin tube design brings high stability to the carbon twin, as well as significantly increasing radiation density. What's more, these heaters offer the possibility of manufacture in a range of models. These heaters can be built for connection to conventional standard power supplies.

The carbon heater technology contributes to the high power density of the carbon twin. Carbon heaters have twice the maximum power density of conventional medium wave twin tube heaters. In addition, carbon heaters have fast heat-up and cool-down times and can be switched on and off in seconds.

  • medium wave, 1200 °C, peak wavelength 2 µm
  • max. power density 95 watts/in2 (carbon round tube 65 W/in2, medium wave twin tube 30 W/in2)
  • linear power density 180 W/in.
  • switch on and off times of only 1 or 2 seconds
  • conventional voltages
  • twin tube format 33 x 14 mm
  • lengths up to 120 inches
  • gold plated
  • one- or two-sided connection
  • Standard, custom and OEM models available

Technical Data

Carbon Twin Tube IR Heater Carbon Round Tube IR Heater
Power density 80 W/cm 40 W/cm
Max. heated length 3000 mm 1500 mm
Cross section 34x14 mm 19 mm
Filament temperature 1200°C 1200°C
Filament temperature 2 µm 2 µm
Max. power 150 kW/m2 100 kW/m2
Response time 1-2 sec. 1-2 sec.