Jul 28 2014
Torrey Hills Technologies, LLC (THT) and Hengli Eletek, Co. Ltd were jointly named as finalist for the 6th annual 2014 Golden Bridge Awards under the New Products and Services from all over the world category for their innovative model AST1003-0304N drying furnace.
NASA, one of the earliest customers to take advantage of this pioneering furnace technology, endorsed THT/Hengli's entry into the Awards.
Concerned about the negative impacts of modern manufacturing on the environment, the Hengli/THT team invented a new volatile organic compound (VOC) removal / thermal oxidizing system for their model AST belt furnace. Connected to the furnace exhaust, this ground-breaking VOC removal system eliminates VOC emissions to outside air. Widely used in electronics manufacturing as solvents that are dried on a belt furnace and exhausted into the air, VOCs are one of the top causes for smog. The electronics manufacturing process contributes a significant portion of VOCs to air pollution, yet no other furnace manufacturers have approached this issue. THT and Hengli are the first to achieve a green solution that allows VOCs to be oxidized into CO2 before being released into the ambient air.
“Our invention is a classic story of ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’” said Ken Kuang, President and CEO of THT. “The 2013 Eastern China smog was a severe air pollution episode that affected East China and caused airports, highways, and schools to close. By eliminating VOCs so that they cannot be exhausted into the air, we can begin to reduce smog. It was a pleasure to have NASA as the first customer to vouch for this technology.”