No question about it, Stan Banaszkiewicz can take the heat. In fact, it's his job, and every where he goes-it's hot.
Banaszkiewicz is Plant Engineer at Ottawa Fiber, a Canadian manufacturer of fiberglass insulation for home, industrial, and commercial use. To produce that insulation, it's necessary to melt glass-80 percent of it recycled. The process requires temperatures ranging from 900º C (1652º F) to as high as 1,200º C (2192º F). Before melting, ingredients are added and the molten glass flows from the furnace to the forehearth and finally into the bushing. Eventually, the molten glass drops down though an orifice in the channel to a centrifugal "spinner." The glass is forced through the spinner's tiny holes and comes out as glass fiber.
But the heat is still on and this complex process isn't over yet. In the next step, the glass fiber is formed and collected on a conveyer where polymers are added to keep it together. From there, it goes to the curing oven where the additives harden. It then gets cut and sliced, Banaszkiewicz explained.
To control the quality of the fiber product throughout the manufacturing process, it is important to control the temperature in the electric forehearth, which is done by increasing or decreasing the power, according to Banaszkiewicz. That also means you have to measure the power. Based on the temperature of the glass in each zone, adjustments to the power can be made to each of the forehearth zones.
The need to measure the temperatures in the glass fiber manufacturing process led Banaszkiewicz to the Marathon FA1G sensor, a fiber optic infrared thermometer for measuring glass temperatures from 750 to 1675°C (1382 to 3047°F), from Raytek. With applications ranging from measuring the molten glass in the forehearth to measuring the packing material temperature for optimum regenerator airflow control, the FA1G thermometer was a fit with Ottawa Fiber's needs.
Installed in 1996, the system of Raytek FA1G sensors has provided a wide variety of measurements in many locations, Banaszkiewicz said. "We measure the temperature of the glass through the holes on top of the forehearth, so the sensor can actually see the glass," he added.
Prior to installing the FA1G sensors, he used platinum thermocouples that were placed in the glass. But, in addition to being expensive, he found they had other limitations-they only measured the spot in which they were placed and they don't last very long. While it depends on what you're doing in your manufacturing process, the FA1G sensors cost about half the cost of the thermocouple price, he said, and they have other money and time-saving advantages.
"It's easier to monitor because the set up is relatively simple and if the sensor is far enough away from the process you don't need any water cooling," Banaszkiewicz said. "And, generally it works for long time without any need for maintenance."