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Frequently Asked Questions
As market leaders in the application of infrared for industrial curing, we feel it is important to make sure customers understand curing methods, infrared itself, its benefits and how to cure safely and effectively. In order to help understanding we decided to put together a "frequently asked questions" section on this site to make finding the answers a little easier! Please let us know if the answer to your question is not here and we'll help as best we can, as soon as we can. |
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| What is Infrared? |
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| Infrared is all around us. Any material which has a temperature above absolute zero (-273°C) emits infrared waves. Infrared is radiated energy and is used for heating in many many applications. |
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| What is the difference between short wave and medium wave infrared? |
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Generally speaking the higher the temperature the shorter the wavelength produced. The difference between the three types – long medium and short - is in the depth of penetration through the paint film (in automotive applications) and excitement of the molecular structure. Short wave infrared cures faster than medium wave as it takes the paint to a higher temperature and has no warm up time. When purchasing infrared short wave make sure the unit has a flash-off or half-power timer. The reason for initially running the unit at half power is to ease the solvents from the paint before the intense heat is applied. If this is not done, the paint could be skinned, trapping solvent that will produce solvent pop (a pinhole effect) to the finish. Medium-wave ceramic units do not require a flash-off timer as their emitters take four or five minutes to reach full power. |
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| What size area can be covered with a TRISK mobile infrared system? |
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| Generally speaking, not much more than the infrared head. Short-wave infrared does not warm ambient air directly, so it tends to be localised, but there will be a certain amount of spill-over and heat-transfer from the heated part. The best option is to establish your average usage before choosing the right piece of equipment to meet your needs. |
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| How fast will infrared cure paint? |
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| The fastest time on two-pack paint is about eight minutes with an average time about 12 minutes. It would be foolish to attempt a quicker cure for the sake of a couple of minutes. Check that the manufacturer can provide good data on curing and, if possible, on the paint being used. |
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| How much does it cost to run? |
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| Using a 3kW unit, for example, it costs only about five pence per repair. |
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| Do you need to remove plastic and rubber parts? |
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| Most of the heavier plastic parts can be heated with no adverse effect. But it is recommended that they be allowed to cool before handling as they could deform when hot. Any thin moulding plastic should be removed if adjacent to a cure area, or a masked using foil tape over the sensitive part. This will reflect approximately 50 per cent of the heat. |
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| Will infrared cure waterborne paints? |
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| Yes. In places like California, where the use of waterborne paint is already common, the same short-wave IR system is used that is manufactured in the UK by Edwin Trisk Limited. |
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| Why does black paint cure quicker than white? |
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| Infrared is a wave form that can be reflected. Silver and white colours will reflect a certain amount of infrared, although the difference in curing time between white and black is only about three minutes. |
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| Which products can I cure using infrared? |
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| All two-pack systems including etch primer, primer, hi-build, topcoats, lacquers and some air drying products. But ask for more specific advice when purchasing infrared equipment. Infrared can also be used for stoppers fillers, waterborne paints and sealants. Be aware of hot-curing sealants. |
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| What is the most efficient application of infrared in automotive refinishing? |
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The answer to this depends on what type of repair is required. For small spot repairs and local panel repairs (the most common repairs in today’s bodyshop), a mobile infrared unit is by far the most effective in time and monetary terms. Larger repairs are more efficient using a oven. Using a mobile infrared unit – or a track suspended unit will complement your workflow to suit whatever repair you require. Even in a full respray situation, mobile infrared has a dramatic impact during preparation reducing time required when using filler, stopper, etch and primers. |
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| Is Infrared just for respray work? |
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| Infrared has a wide range of applications in automotive refinish not just curing top coats. These include (but are not limited to) water spotting repair, stripe removal, fixing orange peel effects, rectifying runs or sags and moisture removal. |
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| Is Infrared only useful in automotive refinish applications? |
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| Not at all! Many car plants across the world also use TRISK Infrared equipment in their rectification areas in quality control. If any imperfection is noted in the quality check – even down to defects as small as a dust particle, the vehicle is pulled off the line for a bullet repair. High stoving ovens are often some distance from the rectification area so having a mobile or bespoke infrared unit to hand means the manufacturer gains in time, rectification and efficiency. |
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| Would the CM3 Curemate be suitable for a mobile smart repairer(outside work) |
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| The popular choice for the mobile repairer is the Hotspot with stand & timer. The heating area or footprint is around the size of a soccer-ball so ideal for smart repairs. It’s also available as an 110v unit so no problems with power supply, generators etc. The CM3 is sometimes used for larger repairs in the field but regarded by some as less practical in the confines of a small van. |
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