FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2004
Contact: Lonita McLean
Francis Marketing
(616) 235-1122

Granco Clark Introduces Infrared Die Oven

Belding, Michigan — Granco Clark has introduced an infrared die oven that measures the temperature of the die as it is heated, offering precise temperature control. The new oven dramatically cuts heating time, bringing a die to heat in less than 25 percent of the time it would take in a traditional convection oven.

Traditional convection ovens take around four hours to heat a typical die for a mid-size press. The Granco Clark infrared oven can bring a die to temperature in less than an hour. This increases production flexibility, making it much easier for an operation to adjust scheduling if a die breaks or a rush order comes through.

“The infrared oven allows you to put dies in the oven much closer to when they’re actually needed—you might only be working three dies ahead instead of twenty at the press,” says David Jenista, Systems Engineer for Granco Clark. “This helps to extend die life by minimizing the time dies spend at high heat and reducing the potential for annealing.”

The Granco Clark infrared oven uses a thermocouple to measure the temperature of the die as it is heated, ensuring that dies are heated to the correct temperature. “It’s a more reliable method than using pre-programmed settings or a timer,” Jenista says. “There’s no risk of overheating or underheating the die by choosing the wrong setting. And because the Granco Clark infrared oven measures the temperature of the die instead of relying on a timer, you can put a warm die in the oven without overheating it.”

The Granco Clark infrared die oven comes with a comprehensive one-year warranty. The heating element carries an 18-month warranty, believed to be the longest in the industry. The company has applied for a patent on the die oven and its method of operation.

- # # # -

Founded in 1947, Granco Clark began manufacturing billet furnaces and has evolved into a global, single-source supplier and leading equipment manufacturer to the aluminum extrusion industry. Quality is a key component in every extrusion system the ISO-9001 certified company fabricates—from billet log furnaces and log shears to age ovens and stacking equipment.