450ºF GAS-FIRED VERTICAL CONVEYOR OVEN

No. 998 is a 450ºF (~232ºC) gas-fired, vertical conveyor oven from Grieve, currently used for curing rubber parts at the customer’s facility. Workspace of this unit measures 68”W x 74”D x 121”H. 400,000 BTU/HR are installed in a modulating natural gas burner to heat the oven, while a 6,000CFM, 5HP recirculating blower provides a combination airflow to the workload. This vertical conveyor oven has 4” insulated walls throughout, stainless steel exterior with #4 brushed finish, Type 304, 2B stainless steel interior with continuously backwelded seams, two side doors for access to the workspace and loading/unloading positions on each side to accept the customer’s fixtures, with a counterweight to hold the fixtures horizontal while passing upward through the oven chamber. The unit was constructed to be split into two sections for shipment. The vertical conveyor on No. 998 is driven by a 3/4HP motor, controlled by a variable frequency drive, delivering 2.2 to 22.4 inches per minute of movement. Special light curtains guard the loading/unloading areas to stop indexing the conveyor, while each loading position is monitored by a laser photo eye to ensure a position is unloaded before the next indexing occurs. The system is controlled by PCC with a human interface screen. All safety equipment required by IRI, FM and National Fire Protection Association Standard 86 for gas-heated equipment is onboard this Grieve oven, including 2000CFM, 2HP powered forced exhausters. The entire unit is built to NEMA 12 electrical standards. Controls include a digital indicating temperature controller, a two-pen 10” dia. circular chart recorder with one pen for temperature and one pen to indicate indexing, plus a tower light to indicate machine status.