Autonics SPRS Modular Heat Controllers Offer Flexible Control

Autonics has introduced the SPRS Series modular thermal controllers, designed to simplify complex heating control in industrial applications like heat treatment and solder reflow. The SPRS system combines scalable control and power modules that can manage up to 36 heating zones with precision and power efficiency. These compact controllers offer multiple control methods, including constant current, voltage, and power control, plus advanced power distribution to extend heater life. Supporting industrial protocols like RS485, EtherCAT, and ProfiNet, the SPRS Series makes it easy to integrate into existing systems while providing diagnostic signals for improved troubleshooting and system reliability.

Heat Control

At first glance, heater control does not sound like a complicated process. However, consider a heat-treating operation or sintering operation where a continuous furnace has multiple heating zones. Precise control over the heat delivered in each zone for a specific amount of time is essential to the quality of the final material.

A multistage heating system is the ultimate test for a heater control system. Image used courtesy of Autonics

In this same system, consider the ramifications of relying on one heater to perform most of the heating. In a poorly controlled and unoptimized heating system, the end result is that some heating elements burn out from heavy use, while other heating elements sit dormant and are rarely used. In cascaded systems, control of these heating elements can become quite complex.

SPRS Series Modular Controllers

Autonics’s SPRS series controllers are modular, so they can be connected and interfaced together to form cascaded control systems. This makes them a good option for heating systems that may expand in the future and require additional control, without redesigning the entire system. They also feature a power distribution control allowing intelligent switching between modules to provide more consistent heat while distributing the load across multiple heating elements. Up to 36 SPRS power modules can be combined with one control module.

Autonics SPRS Series heater controls demonstrate their modularity. Image used courtesy of Autonics

Besides being modular, the series contains various modules, controlling current from 25 A to 600 A, making them flexible for numerous heating applications. Modules can select between single-phase or three-phase power. Communication is possible with RS485, CC-Link, EtherCAT, or ProfiNet, which simplifies integration into existing heating systems.

In terms of control, these units can deliver constant current control, constant voltage control, and constant power control by altering the phase angle using a feedback loop. They can also be used as simple on/off controllers or fixed or variable cycle controls. Complex heating patterns can be tailored to a specific application among these three options.

Each module can also generate diagnostic signals to help engineers and technicians during troubleshooting. Broken heater, overcurrent, high temperature, and other such alarms let operators know there is a major problem. Furthermore, the module monitors the input voltage to prevent damage to the controller in the event of a power surge or brownout.

Applications

Heating furnaces for heat treatment processes and sintering operations need tight temperature control for quality and efficiency. Because both time and temperature affect the final results, a multi-stage heating controller can adjust to ensure the proper thermal conditioning has been implemented for the process. This is becoming increasingly important in raw material processing for batteries of all types.