A New Era
For 50 years, Sopara has equipped the world’s leading manufacturers of interior design and construction materials: from floor coverings to plasterboard, from cladding to fitted kitchens.
As manufacturers must simultaneously increase throughput, reduce energy consumption and decarbonise their processes, thermal technologies are becoming a strategic lever of competitiveness.
Thermal Challenges in Interior Design and Construction
Industrial Volumes & Throughput
Kilometres of floor covering produced every day at over 20 metres per minute. The slightest loss of throughput or efficiency has an immediate impact on profitability.
Flawless Surface Quality
Wood, stone and leather effects: the surface finish of a floor covering determines the value of the final product. A temperature deviation, condensation or overheating increases scrap rates.
Decarbonisation of Gas Processes
Gas ovens 40 metres long consuming 2,500 kW. The need to replace these installations with compact electric IR solutions without sacrificing performance or quality.
Productivity Without Heavy Investment
Gaining 10 to 20% productivity on an existing line using just 1 to 2 metres of available space at the line entry.
Sopara’s Response
Thermal Solutions Designed for Interior Design and Construction
Applications in Interior Design and Construction
From hospital floor coverings to facade cladding, from fitted kitchens to plasterboard: Sopara infrared intervenes at every stage of the manufacturing of the materials that make up our living spaces.
Testimonials
and feedback
Case Study 1
PVC Floor Covering Manufacturer
The Industrial Challenge
Gelling a colourless foamed PVC at over 20 m/min — a performance the market considered impossible outside standard medium-wave infrared.
The Solution Implemented
15 years of development:
- A combined short-wave IR + medium-wave IR oven, 2.5 m long
- 700 kW installed over 8–9 m²
- Treating the product in 6–7 seconds
- With direct penetration to over 1 mm depth
The Impact
70%
Energy efficiency (vs. 20% with convection)
×5
Throughput vs. hot-air oven
Innovation
New patented product launched by the client
Case Study 2
PVC Floor Covering Manufacturer
The Industrial Challenge
Fully decarbonise a PVC gelation line in production, without significant interruption, competing against two rival suppliers.
The Solution Implemented
After 3 years of development and 1 year of trials:
- 7 m electric oven replacing a 40 m gas oven
- 700 kW installed vs. 2,500 kW gas + 150 kW ventilation
- Integration in series into the existing line without production stoppage
- Compact airflow system: air renewal every 2 seconds
The Impact
÷7
Energy consumption
7 m
Electric oven replacing 40 m of gas oven
100%
Gelation achieved after optimisation
50 references
Process validated across the client’s entire product range
Case Study 3
PVC Floor Covering Manufacturer
The Industrial Challenge
Reduce the energy consumption of a PVC gelation line without calling into question years of product qualification: same line speed, same process, same result. The challenge: minimising risk by replacing only the emitters that needed replacing.
The Solution Implemented
Replacement of quartz tubes with Sopara corrugated-ribbon high-performance medium-wave IR emitters, at the same wavelength but with significantly higher radiation efficiency.
- Corrugated-ribbon HP medium-wave IR: efficiency 80 to 90% vs. quartz tubes
- Same process, same temperatures, same line speeds
- Installation without modifying the existing line
The Impact
400 → 250 kW
Power consumed for the same result
40%
Immediate energy saving
0 line modifications required
1 replacement
To restore as-new equivalent performance
Credentials & Industrial
Deployment
Innovation & Decarbonisation
The world’s first complete decarbonisation oven for PVC gelation. Process innovation on foamed PVC that led the client to file a patent.
Historic References
Supplier to Gerflor, Tarkett, Forbo, IVC and Beaulieu for 50 years. 95% of infrared ovens at the Gerflor Tarare site are Sopara. Present across multiple sites of every major European manufacturer.
Rigour & Project Methodology
Audit, laboratory tests, pilot, industrialisation, training and predictive maintenance. Over 1,000 test sessions in 25 years. ISO 9001 certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Sopara has carried out this replacement on an industrial line in production: a 7 m electric oven replaces a 40 m gas oven, with consumption divided by 7 to 8. The approach is based on rigorous laboratory tests and progressive qualification across all of the client’s product references.
Historically processed using medium-wave infrared, PVC can be gelled far more efficiently using short-wave infrared when the product is translucent. Sopara developed this approach over 15 years and industrialised it: a combined short-wave IR + medium-wave IR oven processes the product in 6 to 7 seconds at 70% efficiency.
Yes. On plasterboard or floor covering production lines, Sopara installs a short-wave infrared module at the line entry within 1 to 2 metres of available space. The targeted productivity gain is 10 to 20% without major modification to the existing line.
Replacing medium-wave quartz infrared tubes with Sopara corrugated-ribbon HP medium-wave IR emitters reduces consumption by over 40% on the same process, the same product and at the same line speeds.
Yes. Sopara handles paint curing and drying on cladding panels, roof tiles, garage door panels, artificial slates and fitted kitchens. These lines run at 20 to 25 m/min with continuous 24/7 processes.
Embossing requires heating only the surface without softening the lower layers. Sopara uses HP medium-wave IR, which penetrates to only 5 to 10 microns depth, with no risk of deformation of the underlying layers.
Sopara ovens are designed for severe industrial environments, with maintenance-friendly access. Some installations have been operating for over 20 years at our long-standing clients’ sites.
Audit of the existing process, laboratory tests on the client’s materials, industrial pilot, industrialisation, team training and predictive maintenance. An approach that secures every transition at every stage.
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