“Unlike steel or iron, aluminium requires highly specialized industrial ovens and controls to meet stringent temperature uniformity and precision heat treatment,” Tasha Jamaluddin, Managing Director, Epcon Industrial Systems, LP.

Tasha Jamaluddin is Managing Director of Epcon Industrial Systems, LP, widely published with technical expertise across industrial applications. She graduated from Harvard Business School with a Master’s Degree from NYU, a certified LEED, AP with the US Green Building Council, and OSHA 30 Certified in General Industry Safety. She is Vice Chair of the Environmental Technology Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) to the US Department of Commerce.

AL Circle: Can you briefly introduce Epcon Industrial Systems and its specialization in the American aluminium industry as well as globally? 

Tasha Jamaluddin: Epcon is a global leader in engineering and manufacturing integrated Air Pollution Control and Process Heating Equipment for the aluminium industry. With over 45 years’ experience and 4,500 Systems worldwide, from concept to completion, Epcon delivers customized solutions for each customer’s unique process requirements and can guarantee quality performance with our vertically integrated 250,000 sqft on-site manufacturing facility.

AL Circle: What sets Epcon Industrial Systems apart in the aluminium industry?

Tasha Jamaluddin: Our success is based on innovative patented designs, focusing on our customers' ROI, and ensuring maximum value creation. Unlike steel or iron, aluminium requires highly specialized industrial ovens and controls to meet stringent temperature uniformity and precision heat treatment. Epcon analyses and optimizes your process and operations, designing specialized systems that reduce fuel consumption and costs associated with aluminium heat treating.

AL Circle: How has Epcon contributed to sustainable industrial solutions and advanced heat recovery in the aluminium sector and in other major industrial sectors?

Tasha Jamaluddin: Through various heat recovery methods, Epcon is able to deliver integrated process heating and air pollution control equipment, often resulting in net zero fuel consumption and emissions. This energy recycling is not only good for the environment but also the operator's bottom line!

AL Circle: Can you provide an aluminium industry case study that highlights a unique technical challenge that Epcon was able to resolve?

Tasha Jamaluddin: A major automotive supplier approached Epcon for batch-type aging ovens with cooling capabilities for aluminium structural components. The final design featured a multiple-tiered rack system to handle several bins per batch, with the capacity to heat 6,500 pounds of aluminium from 70 to 400°F in under two hours, with stringent temperature-uniformity requirements of +/-5°F (+/-3°C).

Advanced airflow controls allowed the oven work or “batch” chamber to also be used as a cooling zone. The recirculation system utilized fans with 10,000 CFM capacity and combination airflow to maximize heating rates and temperature uniformity of the product, with the subsequent cooling in the oven chamber achieved by engaging modulating fresh-air cooling damper and exhaust fans.

AL Circle: Can you provide an example of a specific American installation where Epcon's innovative engineering contributed to increased sustainability in Aluminium processing or production?

Tasha Jamaluddin: A laminated aluminium sheet producer required a continuous-cure oven system for their new line with uniformity within +/-0.5% of the target across the 5-foot-wide multilayered laminated sheet travelling at speeds of approximately 270 feet per minute.

Epcon delivered a multi-level, three-zone continuous-oven with an integrated air-pollution-control system and thermal recycling from the oxidizer back to the various oven zones. This high-speed innovative solution provided the greatest energy efficiency with the smallest overall operating footprint.

AL Circle: What are the upcoming developments and trends in the aluminium industry that Epcon is excited about and how is the company preparing to address them?

Tasha Jamaluddin: As innovation in composite coatings and alloy technology continues to improve, the material demands and heat-treating complexities will also increase. Epcon is confident that our patents and proprietary system designs, combined with our experienced engineers, enable us to be one of the only quality suppliers that can optimize your overall Aluminium operations and integrate all necessary air-pollution-control technology into the thermal-system design.