high temp lighting

Hello all. This is not PLC related but I thought someone might have an idea.

I need to install some task lighting in the opening of a 3600 ton hydraulic press. This press has heat and any lighting in the area could be subject to 450 degree F. If this were standard a slim line 4 foot flouescent fixture mounted on the inside wall would be great as it would miss the moving parts and provide maximum effecient task lighting. Any ideas?

Are the entire light fixture and supply cable exposed to the high temp or do you have a barrier that you can install the fixture behind a high temp window. I designed a nifty light for a hotter area using standard 500w quartz fixture and fireplace glass (tradename Pyroceram?) I may be able to find a drawing, if not I'll take a picture.

Brian.

The usual method for high temperatures is incandescent bulbs, like the light in your oven at home. There is not any other type of lighting that I know of that is rated for 450 degrees F. The problem is that most other types use some type of ballast or transformer, which are not normally rated for high temperatures.

However, there is always the method of using fluorescent tubes, with a remotely-mounted ballast, connected with high-temp wires. I have done that, and it worked okay. This requires ceramic (high-temp rated) lampholders also.

The walls are solid. I would have to drill and tap the wall then mount the fixture directly on the wall. There is a 4-6" gap between the fixed vertical walls that the fixtures would go on and the plate that moves up and down between the walls.
Lancie, I really wanted to use flourescent to get longer lamp life, less heat directed at the worker (may not matter since the opening was subjected to that high temp earlier)and even distribution. I did'nt think about remote mount ballast, that might work.

The plant actually mounted some landscape lights at each end facing into the press opening on the press before this one and asked us to provide something similar on this new press. I hoped to find something better suited. I will then add a switch on the HMI and have the PLC turn them OFF/ON at the appropriate time for de-molding.

Now that I think about it, maybe they should make a bracket that would allow the fixture to be placed just outside the press opening and face back into the press opening. I'm not sure what the temp at that point would be but it is open air climate controlled so it should be significantly cooler.

Has anyone done any task lighting in similar high heat applications?

Yes, the application was a "solar chamber", to simulate the effects for sunlight on smog. We built a 20-feet diameter octagonal chamber, completely surrounded with 8-feet high walls. Every wall was covered with 48" high-output fluorescent lamps. The ballasts were remotely mounted on the outsides of the walls. It got hot inside the chamber, although not 450 degrees, probably more like 120 degrees. Still, a remote ballast should work for you.