Drying different sized pieces in a vertical oven without compromising production efficiency

Everyone knows how efficient drying is inside a FIFO oven such as OMNIDRY, our vertical oven. The issue some companies regularly face occurs when a minority of pieces are significantly larger than the majority of pieces transiting the oven. What normally happens? These oversize pieces will be removed manually from the production circuit and will undergo the drying process elsewhere, in another oven, taking longer. Clearly, this issue concerns companies whose finishing capabilities allow them to handle much larger pieces.

A patented solution overcomes the need for two drying options

FLEXPRO is a patented system built into the version of OMNIDRY featuring 3 chambers. Without penalising productivity in any way, this system enables much larger pieces to enter the same oven and be dried without interrupting the process. Space is created exactly when and where it is required to accommodate the piece without reducing the oven’s overall capacity. This allows companies to exploit the high-speed drying process ensured by a typical FIFO oven and avoids the need to find another solution and twice as much floorspace.

One of its kind, with no compromise

Other ovens either favour productivity and exclude any form of flexibility, or vice versa. OMNIDRY with FLEXPRO accepts no compromise, just efficient production together with full flexibility. For companies handling more or less 10% larger pieces in their daily production, FLEXPRO saves money, saves space and saves them from stopping each time a large piece reaches the drying stage.

Watch this video to appreciate the practical solution we have developed.

OMNIDRY, the final frontier in vertical oven design, provides the revolutionary capability for fully automatic management of piece height while retaining all the outstanding characteristics of a standard Cefla vertical oven.

It can carry out all three stages (flash off, drying and cooling), even for coatings that need longer drying times, while minimizing the use of floor space.

• A variable number of trays, from 16 to 168, available with belt or rack configuration
• Horizontal upgrade: reduction of the conveyor length
• Extreme modularity: Omnidry can be expanded with an additional 2 or 4 sections.
• Flexible system layout
   

FLEXIBILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

FLEXPRO (patented), is the revolutionary feature of the new Omnidry, which allows managing the loading thickness completely automatically. It represents the perfect compromise between productivity and flexibility.
Thanks to FLEXPRO, the system recognizes inbound objects, independently adjusting the load height. It's able to handle the entire cycle without the intervention of the operators and never stop the production. This innovative solution is perfect for robotic applications that allow the finishing of pieces with different sizes. Cefla’s expertise enables us to take another major step forward: the new generation of Omnidry vertical ovens provides automatic management of variation in the piece.

Discover our selection of ovens and drying solutions.

Patented flexibility, productivity and automation from a one-stop high-performance feature.

The name's FLEXPRO and it means flexibility, operational versatility and high productivity for your coating line.

Over 50 years of industry-specific expertise in the field of vertical oven designing have resulted in taking a further step forward thanks to the patented FLEXPRO function, available in the Omnidry range. Flexpro ensures automatic management of loading thickness variability according to the dimensions of the workpieces and to logistical needs.

FLEXPRO, which has just been granted a US patent, after having been patented in Europe, is the ideal compromise between productivity and flexibility. Its uniqueness lies precisely in the fully automatic adjustment of loading thickness, which is made possible by direct interaction between the coating machine and the oven in terms of types of incoming pieces. For this reason, FLEXPRO is able to manage the entire cycle without requiring any operator action and without ever stopping production.

This patent is also the result of a solid, successful approach to process innovation by Cefla Finishing. FLEXPRO is the product of structured brainstorming among professionals in our various business areas, who analyse internal and external inputs (from the market and from our customers) and turn them into innovative ideas.

Congratulations to the inventors: Massimo Dovadola, Cristian Giovannini, Luigi Franzoni

Contact us and discuss your needs with a finishing expert.

3 axes: X, Y and Z.  3D objects including raised panels.  3 patent pending technologies.  Once upon a time excimer matting technology was restricted to flat panels, a simple X and Y axis process achieving a resistant matt finish with a soft touch effect. Just a single flat surface. Cefla Finishing knew the market was ready to go a step further, by improving the technology, but also by adding the third dimension, or if you prefer, the Z axis.

Today’s Exydry-Z oven, featuring non-stop processing, implements a superior level of excimer matting and is able to handle raised panels and all panel edges. This latest-generation oven delivers deep matt surfaces that are totally fingerprint-proof, wonderfully soft to the touch and which boast an exceptional surface resistance. Thanks to our technology, much less nitrogen is needed for the oven, making the process more sustainable and economically convenient.

Tomorrow Cefla envisages Exydry-Z ovens with an increased capacity in terms of panel size and thickness. There is also a strong probability special lacquers for excimers, even water-based, will become easier to source than today.

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Incorporating three patent pending technologies, Exydry-Z from Cefla Finishing pioneered the use of excimer matting technology to achieve a "soft touch" finish while featuring an extremely hard, durable surface.

The process yields a below 5 gloss finish, leaving behind no fingerprints, and consumes less than 1/3 nitrogen over competitive products.

Sustainable, cost-efficient and exclusive, Exydry-Z achieves a superb finish even for raised panels with shallow grooves. You can see this oven at work at our laboratory, the largest finishing lab in the world.

Contact us and arrange a visit to the LAB.