On an oven profile chart the rising section of the curve is the ramp. Sheet metal ramps in a few minutes, while thick plate, castings and dense rack loads can take 10 to 20 minutes or more, eating most of the oven time. A slow ramp also changes how the powder flows and gels, which shifts gloss and texture. Shops quote ramp when they explain why a heavy part needs a slower line.
Ramp on the half-inch plate is 14 minutes, so we only get six at temp. Slow the line.
Also heard as
- ramp-up
- come-up time
- heat-up
Related terms
Oven profile
A temperature recording from thermocouples on real parts as they travel through the cure oven.
PMT
Part metal temperature, the temperature of the substrate itself, which is what actually drives the cure.
Cure schedule
The time at temperature a powder needs to cure fully, measured at the part's metal, not the oven air.
Line speed
How fast the conveyor moves, in feet per minute, which sets washer time, spray time and oven time all at once.