Getting Industrial Heat Right with SWIR Halogen Lamps
Think of a shortwave infrared (SWIR) lamp as a standard lightbulb on steroids. We take a tungsten filament, wrap it in quartz, and pump in halogen gas. Why? Because it lets us crank the heat way up without the filament just giving up and burning out. You end up with this intense, concentrated burst of energy that hits exactly where you need it. Let’s talk power. When we’re figuring out which lamp you need, it all comes down to how much heat you actually need to move. If you’re using those longer 300mm or 500mm tubes, you’re probably looking at 230V or 400V. Here is the trick: your voltage has to match your transformer perfectly. If it’s off, you’ll get annoying hotspots or the filament will just snap. Plus, going with higher voltage means we can use thinner wires, which keeps your heating array from becoming a bulky mess. The hardware side of things. We use quartz glass because it can take the heat and lets that shortwave radiation pass right through. For the connectors, we usually stick with R7s or SK15. These aren’t just “standard” parts. They’re there to make sure everything stays snug and the electricity flows smoothly, even when the metal expands as it gets scorching hot. And if your environment is particularly nasty, we can add special coatings to protect the tube or tweak how the heat is emitted. Real-world use (and the pitfalls). You’ll see these things everywhere—blowing PET bottles, powder coating, or curing semiconductors. They are incredibly fast. We’re talking about hitting target temperatures in a matter of seconds. But there’s a catch. Because the heat is so intense, you can’t just shove these lamps next to anything sensitive. If your cooling system isn’t up to the task, you’re going to warp your housing or trip every thermal sensor in the building. One last tip: use high-temp leads for your wiring. Trust me, you don’t want to find out the hard way what happens when your insulation melts.