Watlow®, a designer and manufacturer of electric heaters, controllers and temperature sensors, has expanded the EZ-ZONE® ST integrated controller family to include phase angle power switching and increased load current. The EZ-ZONE ST now features single phase solid state relay output up from 40 to 75 amperes and phase angle power switching with soft-start to prevent high in-rush currents, load failure or blown fuses.
Watlow’s EZ-ZONE ST with new phase angle control and higher current capacity is perfect for the production of PV cells where size and temperature uniformity are required to reliably produce a cell with high conversion yields. Radiant quartz (tungsten) lamps are commonly used in the manufacturing of PV cells to deliver a variety of specific thermal profiles rapidly. To overcome inherent limitations (low resistance / high in-rush currents), these heating lamps require phase angle power to function properly. These lamps are also usually ganged into small banks for improved temperature uniformity.
For these banks, the requirement is temperature control, power switching, current monitoring, over-temperature protection and field communications yet remain small and compact.
The EZ-ZONE ST meets all of these requirements.
