Conceptual Design Tool for the development of a heating zone of an industrial Annealing Simulator

The goal of this work is to support and improve the development process of the infrared heating zones of industrial annealing simulators with the help of computer-based models. These models cover the most relevant physical aspects e.g., geometry or heat radiation and enable engineers to customize the heating zone according to the main requirements such as maximum temperature or homogeneity of temperature. For this purpose, a conceptual design tool based on the principal physical aspects was developed. It is used to evaluate different design concepts of the heating zone, thus illustrating the importance of a “model based design” approach. The usability of a modular structure of models in order to master the development process of such complex mechatronic systems is shown in the present article.