You could argue that the automotive industry began January 29, 1886, when Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine”, patent number 37435, which is sometimes considered to be the “birth certificate” of the automobile.
From the oldest functioning car in the world, La Marquise, a steam-powered, four-wheeled, four-seat vehicle, manufactured by De Dion Bouton in France in 1884, Henry Ford’s Model T in 1908, and on to the supercars of today, automobiles have long held a special place in public fascination. While very few are steam powered, steam is still used extensively in the manufacturing process, starting in the mines that provide the raw material for your automobile.
Steam is used for Vulcanization for rubber products such as tires, bumpers, steering wheels or inside trim and wiring. Vulcanization improves elasticity, hardness, tear strength, and resistance to organic solvents and abrasion. It also offers excellent resilience, low water absorption, and oxidation resistance, as well as making an excellent electrical insulator. In tire manufacturing, green tires are placed in a steam press, or autoclave. This press is a hot pressurized mold using steam at a set pressure causing vulcanization, a chemical reaction which transforms the tire from a weak rubber to a strong elastic material, a process that requires a constant temperature throughout, ideally a source of dry saturated steam between 260 and 250 psi. Steam is an ideal medium for this process not only for its temperature regulation, but also as a way to prevent contaminants from fouling the process.
Steam is also used in the painting process as part of a phosphate bath. Phosphating is vital in ensuring a proper finish of powder coated or painted parts, as well as ensuring proper adhesion of paint, a better appearance, and corrosion protection for metal parts. The phosphate coating that developed in this application requires a constant high temperature. If the bath temperature dips too low, your finished products will have poor coverage, resulting in a messy appearance and leaving the metal open to corrosion.
To maintain a constant temperature and high-quality steam, look no further than Clayton Steam Generators to provide you with high quality steam at greatly reduced operating costs.