Your Partner in High-Performance Enameling.

The furnace is the most critical piece of enamel equipment, and there are key features to look for. First, demand exceptional temperature uniformity. Ask for proof of a temperature variance of no more than ±5°C throughout the firing zone. Second, evaluate the insulation and energy efficiency; a well-designed furnace will save you significant operational costs. Third, consider the conveyor system; it must be made of high-temperature alloys and designed to remain straight and stable after thousands of heating and cooling cycles. Finally, the control system should be a modern PLC that allows for precise, programmable firing curves. A high-quality furnace from TIMS is an investment in quality and reliability.

Inconsistent color in an enamel finish is a frustrating problem, usually rooted in a lack of process control in the enamel equipment. The top three causes are: 1. Inconsistent Application Thickness: Even a small variation in the amount of enamel applied will cause the color to look different after firing. This is solved with automated or robotic applicators. 2. Inconsistent Firing Temperature: The final color of many pigments is highly dependent on the exact temperature and time in the furnace. Even a 5-10 degree variance can cause a noticeable shift. 3. Inconsistent Enamel Slip: In a wet process, the water content and viscosity of the enamel slip must be kept constant. A high-quality TIMS enamel equipment system uses automation to control all three of these variables, guaranteeing consistent color from batch to batch.

A "Two-Coat, Two-Fire" (2C2F) process is the gold standard for high-quality enameling and requires a complete enamel equipment line. It involves: 1. First Coat: Applying the dark, cobalt-rich ground coat, which is designed for maximum adhesion to the steel. 2. First Fire: Firing the part in a furnace to fuse the ground coat. 3. Second Coat: After cooling, applying the colored cover coat, which is designed for aesthetics and surface properties. 4. Second Fire: Firing the part again at a slightly lower temperature to fuse the cover coat. This multi-stage process, automated by a continuous TIMS enamel equipment line, creates a far more durable and flexible finish than a single-coat system.

Defects like pinholes (small holes in the finish) or crazing (fine cracking) are typically caused by failures in process control that can be eliminated with high-quality enamel equipment. Pinholes are often caused by gases escaping from the steel during firing. A proper ground coat and a precisely controlled, multi-stage firing curve, managed by a TIMS furnace, allows these gases to escape before the glass fully fuses. Crazing is caused by a mismatch in the thermal expansion between the enamel and the metal substrate. This is prevented by using the correct enamel formulation for the specific metal and by ensuring a perfect, strong bond, which is a direct result of meticulous pretreatment and firing—core strengths of our enamel equipment.