NUTEC Bickley, Monterrey, Mexico, announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply a four-car shuttle kiln to a leading global energy technology company. The kiln will support sintering of ceramic cores at the customer’s investment casting facility, with firing cycles ranging from 20 to 80 hours, depending on the core specifications.
The gas-fired shuttle kiln is engineered to operate at temperatures up to 2010°F (1100°C) and features a twin-deck kiln car setting. Each car offers setting dimensions of 47 inches long by 63 inches wide by 34 inches high (1.19m x 1.59m x 0.87m), delivering a total effective load volume of 230 cubic feet (6.55m³) across all four cars. The kiln is designed to handle an average total product weight of 970 pounds (440 kg).
Twelve individually controlled high-velocity nozzle-mix burners—firing in a staggered sequence above and below the load—enable optimal heat transfer and temperature uniformity. Each burner includes automatic ignition and a safety system.
The kiln incorporates NUTEC Bickley’s proprietary IMPS® combustion control system, which provides pulse control across eight independent temperature zones, alternating between high and low fire settings. The system allows programmable excess air levels during different stages of the cycle, enhancing fuel efficiency, process precision, and temperature uniformity without relying on constant excess air. IMPS also includes a cooling mode, introducing air through burners and dedicated nozzles for reduced cycle times.
The kiln’s insulation includes NUTEC’s patented Jointless® ceramic fiber system rated to 2600°F (1425°C), ensuring thermal efficiency and durability. Double-labyrinth refractory and insulation brick seals combined with sand seals reduce heat loss and cold air infiltration.
This project builds on NUTEC Bickley’s longstanding relationship with the customer, which includes the delivery of 15 furnaces and ovens over the past decade to its transformer manufacturing division. The award further underscores NUTEC Bickley’s reputation for delivering advanced thermal processing systems to global leaders in high-tech manufacturing.
Read further here: https://www.nutecbickley.com/
