Drying panels at Vitra Group

In any production line, the last thing a business wants is to slow down production to replace equipment like gas cylinders. That’s precisely the problem VitraGroup from New South Wales faced in their production for cladding panels.

VitraGroup used gas heaters for drying their cladding panels. The drying process emits volatile fumes, so the gas burner’s naked flames were a risk in the workplace. Gas heaters also required bottle replacement two to three times per week, causing periodic downtime of their production lines.  These ongoing business costs prompted VitaGroup to search for another option. The new heater needed to both heat a moving panel up to 60°C and be certified for use in a hazardous dust and vapor environment. Fortunately, SBH Solutions had the ideal solution to do the job!

SBH Solutions offered Star Progetti’s EHSAFE ATEX electric infrared heaters to replace their existing gas heaters. EHSAFE heaters are a sealed unit with a tempered front glass and rated IP66. The ATEX approval means they are certified for “zone 1 or 2” hazardous areas, and environments with fine dust, water spray or vapours. EHSAFE heaters utilise a 2,000-watt halogen bulb emitter that achieves operating temperature almost instantly, unlike gas burner elements which take time to heat up. The EHSAFE has highly polished parabolic reflectors to transfer uniform heat over a wide target area efficiently. Another advantage of electric heaters is that they are easily serviced with a standard 240 VAC supply; running electrical cables is much cheaper than installing a copper pipe gas line. Moreover, industrial halogen bulbs have a 5,000 to 7000-hour life, and apart from occasional cleaning of the glass, are virtually maintenance-free. Compared to a gas bottle heater, downtime with Star Progetti heaters is extended from every few days to every few years!

VitraGroup initially bought an EHSAFE heater for trial and were quickly satisfied that the advice given by SBH Solutions was correct.  They now have four heaters improving workplace safety and productivity with significantly reduced running costs.

SBH Solutions can provide a range of heating solutions for industrial and commercial applications. Contact us if you want to discuss alternate heating solutions for your production line, warehouse, or workspace.