Advancements That Have Made Batch Ovens a Functional Powerhouse

January 22, 2020

In recent years, the demand for batch ovens, whether it be for commercial baking or industrial heat treatment, has continued to increase.

The Cornerstone Behind the Reason Why Can Be Traced to the Advancements and Experiments That Have Been Made to Improve the Functionality of Batch Ovens.

Before we delve deeper into such innovations, it’s good to have a refresher on how these ovens, also known as walk-in ovens, operate on a fundamental level.

How do Walk-In Ovens Work?

In essence, operation takes place by placing batches of products that have to undergo the same heating or baking process at different times, ideally for materials that have to be heat-treated in different batches.

A batch is placed into the oven using trays, racks, and/or carts. This loading and unloading process can be completed either by hand or through an automated device. Automation continues to be a driving force in a number of facilities as it promotes faster and easier switching between each batch.

The Technological Developments

Process requirements, such as air humidity, air temperature, height of the heating chamber, and even band velocity, have become easily adjustable and tunable for a multitude of environments. What’s more, major breakthroughs have bared fruitful to precisely monitor the weight and temperature of the product being processed or baked.

The success of this development for batch ovens was validated in two ways. First, the uniformity of heating that it provides was evaluated by measuring local heat transfer coefficients. Post-hoc analysis of the results then show whether or not the oven has imparted heat in a uniform manner across the heating or baking area inside the equipment. Findings from this experiment have gone on to help increase the pool of knowledge that surround the conditions of the heating process and how the environment influences the quality of baked or heated products.

This kind of experimentation and iterative development has enabled heat treatment manufacturers to make state-of-the-art models that can be adapted to an extensive suite of applications. Eastman Manufacturing has been delivering hundreds of these industrial ovens throughout North America for decades while servicing numerous industries – so reach out to any one of our many representatives to learn more!