System and process for curing a wet coating applied to a substrate

A process for curing a wet coating of a coated substrate, the process comprising:

• displacing the coated substrate in a curing room along a displacement axis through an upstream curing section and then through a downstream curing section, the upstream curing section and the downstream section each defining a respective curing inner volume;
• in the upstream curing section, producing an upstream infrared radiation at an upstream radiation intensity using an upstream catalytic infrared heater to partially cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced within the curing inner volume of the upstream curing section;
• in the downstream curing section, producing a downstream infrared radiation at a downstream radiation intensity, being lower than the upstream radiation intensity, using a downstream catalytic infrared heater to further cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced within the curing inner volume of the downstream curing section;
• and
• via a ventilation system that includes an inlet at one of the upstream and downstream curing sections and that opens into the curing inner volume of said one of the upstream and downstream curing sections and an outlet at the other one of the upstream and downstream curing sections and that opens into the curing inner volume of said other one of the upstream and downstream curing sections, recirculating from said one of the upstream and downstream curing sections towards the curing inner volume of the other one of the upstream and downstream curing sections the heated air stream produced in said one of the upstream and downstream curing sections upon curing of the wet coating via the corresponding one of the upstream and downstream infrared radiations.

A system for curing a wet coating of a coated substrate, the system comprising:

• a curing room configured to receive the coated substrate being displaced along a displacement axis, the curing room being dividable along the displacement axis into at least:
• an upstream curing section defining a curing inner volume and comprising at least one upstream catalytic infrared heater for producing an upstream infrared radiation at an upstream radiation intensity to partially cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced within the curing inner volume of the upstream curing section along the displacement axis;
• and
• a downstream curing section defining a curing inner volume and comprising at least one downstream catalytic infrared heater for producing a downstream infrared radiation at a downstream radiation intensity, being lower than the upstream radiation intensity, to further cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced within the curing inner volume of the downstream curing section along the displacement axis for producing a cured coating;
• and
• a ventilation system having:
• an inlet at the downstream curing section and opening into the curing inner volume thereof;
• an outlet at the upstream curing section and opening into the curing inner volume thereof;
• wherein the ventilation system recirculates from the curing inner volume of the downstream curing section towards the curing inner volume of the upstream curing section the heated air stream produced in the curing inner volume of the downstream curing section upon curing of the wet coating via the downstream infrared radiation.

A system for curing a wet coating of a coated substrate, the system comprising:

• a curing room configured to receive the coated substrate being displaced along a displacement axis, the curing room being dividable along the displacement axis into at least:
• an upstream curing section comprising at least one upstream catalytic infrared heater for producing an upstream infrared radiation at an upstream radiation intensity to partially cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced through the upstream curing section along the displacement axis;
• a downstream curing section comprising at least one downstream catalytic infrared heater for producing a downstream infrared radiation at a downstream radiation intensity, being lower than the upstream radiation intensity, to further cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced through the downstream curing section along the displacement axis for producing a cured coating;
• and
• an intermediate curing section arranged between the upstream curing section and the downstream curing section, the intermediate curing section comprising at least one intermediate catalytic infrared heater for producing an intermediate infrared radiation at an intermediate radiation intensity, being lower than the upstream radiation intensity and higher than the downstream radiation intensity, to partially cure the wet coating while the coated substrate is being displaced through the intermediate curing section;
• and
• a ventilation system comprising an intersection recirculation duct assembly having an inlet at the downstream curing section and an outlet at the upstream curing section for recirculating the heated air stream produced in the downstream curing section upon curing of the wet coating via the downstream infrared radiation towards the upstream curing section, said intersection recirculation duct assembly comprising:
• a first intersection recirculation duct having an inlet at the downstream curing section and an outlet at the intermediate curing section for recirculating the heated air stream produced in the downstream curing section towards the intermediate curing section;
• and
• a second intersection recirculation duct having an inlet at the intermediate curing section and an outlet at the upstream curing section for recirculating a heated air stream produced in the intermediate curing section upon curing of the wet coating via the intermediate infrared radiation towards the upstream curing section.