Hi Frank
I have a kiln here which I fire up to 1260C. (I don't put my PCBs in it
BTW!) It is constructed from fire bricks, ceramic fiber insulation and a
stainless steel skin. At the extreme high end the insulation makes a lot
of difference to how well firings work and whether the kiln reaches its
max temperature at all. (BTW I have never done it, I use the kiln to
make pots, but I guess I have the technology to make custom high voltage
porcelain or glass standoff insulators).
In kilns the electronic controller is usually in a seperate box and
connected to the heating elements and thermocouple by a cable so you
might want to consider making your oven two piece?
I would suggest ceramic fiber is the right stuff for the job, it will be
safe at the "low" :-) temperatures used for PCB work and won't catch fire.
I don't know how big your toaster oven is? But it wouldn't be that
expensive to do. On ebay UK cut ceramic fiber is available & piece a
metre x 60cm and 25mm thick, costs about GBP10.00 plus postage. Ceramic
kiln "paper" 2mm or 3mm thick is also available in cut pieces and might
be suitable for the gaps inside the case and for protecting the electronics?
Or how about ceramic exhaust tape? a roll 2mm thick, 10m long & 2" wide
is about GBP 10.00.
Regards
Paul
On 10/03/2012 03:48, ftkalcevic wrote:
>
> I'd like to improve the efficiency of my cheap toaster oven.
>
> I suspect it is like all ovens - a thin sheet metal oven in a thin
> sheet metal enclosure. And no thermal protection around the control
> electrics.
>
> I'd like to use a thermal insulator, either wrapped around the oven,
> or just something stuffed into the gap between oven and shell. I'd
> also like to protect the gap on the right where electronics will go.
>
> Any idea what kind of cheap insulator I can use for that? I've used
> ceramic blanket before, but a strip 50mm wide was very expensive.
>
> Is household fibreglass insulation wool capable of withstanding the
> 300C+ temps?
>
> Thanks,
> Frank
>
>
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