Hotfoil-EHS Products

A Better Choice in Heat Treatment Control Systems

Ice Star, a Finnish company, engineers and manufactures heat treatment controllers for electric and gas furnaces, as well as for induction and resistive heating consoles. The company manufactures the most advanced metal heat treatment control system available today. Since 1984, they have been laser-focused on the development and advancement of industrial heat treatment controllers and software.

ICE Star
Model ISG
Heat Treatment Controller

Ice Star’s founder, Esa Santala, has decades of knowledge and experience in the heat treatment industry. He developed one of the first processor controlled multi-channel controllers and has since been building even more innovative products.

Ice Star controllers do not require a separate recorder. Ice Star controllers monitor all critical heat treatment variables - temperature, time, soak, upsets, diagrams, events, alarms etc. - and then provide extremely detailed records for each. Additionally, with ISPort software, you can monitor and control the heating processes directly from remote process displays and computers.

For more information about Ice Star in North America, visit Hotfoil-EHS or call 609.588.0900.

Hazardous Area Heater Control Systems for Coal Hoppers and Conveyors

Explosion proof control system.

A major hazard in coal burning utilities is the transfer and storage of coal due to the presence of highly combustible coal dust. Mitigating the risks of combustible dusts eliminate the potential for dust explosions. It is critically important that any coal handling or coal storage facility have access to experienced application engineers who understand the specific requirements when handling coal and managing coal dust.

Electric heat is very often used to prevent coal freeze-ups in hoppers and conveyors. The most common electric heaters used are are exterior mounted panel heaters with carefully calculated watt densities to keep sheath temperatures low. A less preferred solution is the use of tubular heating elements that may have higher sheath temperatures. Tubular heaters are usually clamped or stud-welded to the exterior of the coal hopper or conveyor chute.  In either case, a control system must be employed to maintain operating temperatures and to safely limit temperatures below dust ignition temperatures.  Since the presence of coal dust in the atmosphere is considered normal, the use of explosion proof housings, conduit, and wiring practices is required for these control systems.

Internal view.

Hotfoil, a New Jersey manufacturer of electric hopper and coal handling heating systems,  designs, engineers, and fabricates custom control systems specifically for these applications. 

With decades of experience in hopper, conveyor, and tank heating systems they provide their customers with a single-source, turn-key, electrical heating and control system solutions provider. All products are 100% quality tested prior to leaving the facility, and an added plus is that they provide on-site start-up assistance.

Electric Heating and Control Solutions for Power Generation

Hotfoil-EHS specializes in electric surface heating systems in power plants for fly ash hoppers on electrostatic precipitators or baghouses, coal and material handling systems, tanks, and pipes.

For more information, visit http://www.hotfoilehs.com.

Weld Heat Treatment is Critical to Structure Integrity

Welding pre-heat is critical to the quality of the weld and
and the integrity of the structure.

In any large scale welding operation (such as pipeline welding, shipbuilding, boiler fabrication) heat treatment is critical to the quality of a weld, and therefore critical to the performance of a structure, and never should not be taken lightly.

When in doubt, review of industry code or a consultation with a welding expert is imperative. Welding code is the first determinant to whether pre-heating is needed. Welding code carefully specifies the minimum preheat temperature, the soak time, and the welding process. Many criteria are considered by welding codes, all gathered from years of rigorously tested data. This data is accumulated from many sources, including metallurgical science, chemical properties of materials, and radiographic analysis.

In its simplest form, weld heat treatment is the process of heating the base metal (parts to be welded) to a desired temperature prior to welding, and then allowing it to cool at a given rate under controlled conditions. The specific temperature to which the part needs to be heated (before welding) is referred to as the “preheat temperature”.

There are several key reasons why it's important to preheat before welding. 

• A preheated part cools more slowly, which slows the overall cooling rate of the welded part. This improves the metallurgical (crystalline) structure and makes it less prone to cracking. 
• Hydrogen that may be present immediately after a weld is also released more efficiently, which further reduces the possibility cracking. Preheating also mitigates stress from the shrinkage at the weld joint and nearby metal. 
• Pre-heating reduces the possibility of fracture during fabrication due to brittleness.

Electric welding preheaters, known as "ceramic mat heaters", are rugged and flexible heating elements designed so that they conform uniformly around the weld and surrounding area.  Ceramic mat heaters are normally controlled by a power console that uses thermocouples and electronic controllers to regulate, monitor, and many times record, the preheat temperature profile.

Another less preferred method to heat the target piece is with a torch, or open flame, but this method carries safety concerns as well as controllability issues. Furnaces are also used, but these typically require the transport of the target piece off-site.

Induction heaters offer an attractive alternative for safety, portability and controllability. Induction heating is unique because it uses molecular excitation as its source of heat, as opposed to open flames or external electric elements. Induction heating works very quickly, and since there is no contact with the target piece, there are far less concerns about part contamination.  Many industrial processes use induction heating when very high temperatures and uniform control is desired.

Each welding application has it's own unique set of circumstances which dictate the optimal heat treating method.  It is always best to contact an expert and solicit their opinion on your best available option.

New Fusion 45 Induction Heater Video

Welding Heat Treatment Power Consoles

Welding Heat Treatment Power Consoles by Hotfoil-EHS

When it comes to Hotfoil-EHS power consoles, there's no cutting corners. By using thicker gauge sheet metal and tubing, top quality electrical components, and quality craftsmanship, Hotfoil-EHS power consoles provide years of reliable and trouble-free service.

Power consoles are standardly offered in 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 zone configurations with a variety of control and recording systems. All Hotfoil-EHS power consoles are available in Stainless Steel and can be customize to your requirements.

Have a special requirement? Just ask. Need a special color, coating or controls? Hotfoil-EHS is eager to provide a custom power console to meet your exact needs.

Temperature recorders are available for applications requiring documentation and certification. Fully automatic controllers are provided when specific heat-up and cool-down profiles are needed.

EHS manufactures and sells accessories including:

• ceramic heaters, 
• thermocouple attachment units (TAU) 
• pin welders 
• hardness testers 
• thermocouple wire 
• insulation

Hotfoil-EHS Heat Treatment Power Consoles from Hotfoil EHS, Inc.