Bulk Hero Element Solution 500 Watt Heater Review
This commodity identifies different types of electric heating elements, highlights important considerations when determining a heater solution, and finally looks at some of the less obvious costs. Examples from experience as well as in-house engineering white papers are referenced throughout the article.
What is a Heating Element?
A heating element is a component composed of both electrically conductive also as insulating material, designed to serve a heating purpose. Allow's break that downwards.
Component: A heating element is more than the heating alloy lone. It is an assemblage of parts that includes a framework of insulating textile as well as lead connectors. In the case of an open coil heater, for example, the heating alloy is typically held or suspended by mica or ceramic insulators. Wire terminals safely connect the heater coils to the circuit.
Electrically Conductive: The fundamental cadre of an electric heater is the heating chemical element alloy within that turns electrical energy into rut energy when subjected to a current. It is the part of a heater where the electric load occurs. When estrus is produced in this way nosotros telephone call it Resistive Heating. It is also known as Joule Heating.
Designed to Serve a Purpose: A heating element is more than its material makeup. It is a product of design. Alloy and insulators must be manipulated to become a useful component that serves a heating purpose. The multi-talented craftsman who determines the alloy and gives the heater it forms is the heater design engineer.
Types and Material
The textile at the centre of a heater is normally metal in the shape of a wire, ribbon or a design etched from a metal foil. A heater may also contain ceramic, plastic, or silicone impregnated with a conductor. Choosing the best materials for the job includes a thorough understanding of textile backdrop equally well every bit knowing where to source the best supplies for the particular application.
Metal Wire and Ribbon Alloys
All metal heating elements have physical, thermal, electrical, and metallurgical properties. These cloth properties are necessary considerations when choosing the best solution for an application. Temperature-dependent differences such as electrical resistance and thermal expansion volition vary depending upon the material. Many heater design challenges arise as the properties of various heating element materials tend to change based on conditions.
Heating elements found in common appliances are fabricated from metallic resistance alloys such every bit Atomic number 26-Cr-Al and Ni-Cr(Iron). They accept the ability to produce temperatures hot enough to get the chemical element to glow red hot, in the neighborhood of 1112°F (600°C) and above. Heaters that operate below this range tin can be made from a much wider range of materials. Elements such as Copper, Nickel, Aluminum, Molybdenum, Fe, and Tungsten also as alloys containing combinations of these elements are used.
Resistance heating alloys incorporate varying proportions of chemic elements depending upon the wire you social club and who makes information technology. A Nickel base of operations alloy we commonly use is 80 Ni, 20 Cr (80% Nickel, 20% Chromium). The proportions of its limerick are different from those of 60 Ni, xvi Cr (lx% Nickel, 16% Chromium), The different properties these two alloys exhibit are significant. A clever engineer capitalizes on material properties to achieve better efficiency, reliability, functioning, cost, and safety in your awarding.
Wire Elements within a Framework
Electrically conductive heating element wire exists inside a framework of electrically insulating material. Whether corrugated, coiled or straight, wire elements typically fall into one of three classifications depending on how they physically make contact with their surrounding framework. Those distinctions are referred to as either suspended, embedded, or supported. They affect how the heater is fabricated and how heat can be transferred.
Suspended
Ceramic or mica is typically used to append the wire at 2 or more points. The number of points involves tradeoffs. On i mitt, we may seek to limit the number of contact points to reduce complexity, material, and manufacturing costs. On the other hand, we may seek to add points of contact to back up an airflow and minimize chemical element sag. Suspended elements transfer heat by convection and radiation. Non conduction.
Embedded
In an embedded heating chemical element, the wire is encased in an insulating material. Since information technology is in complete contact with its surroundings, the element can but transfer heat by fashion of conduction. An instance of this is a cartridge heater. The heating chemical element coil is locked inside of an insulating MgO cloth. The estrus transfers directly from the wire coil to the MgO and on to the outer sheath that heats the platen.
Supported
This blazon of integration with a heater framework falls somewhere between suspended and embedded. A large amount of the heating chemical element volition be well supported at many contact points. It may in fact exist a coil laying in a channel. Information technology is not embedded in insulation material and every bit such the gyre will have some liberty in movement. Conduction, convection, and radiations are all forms of heat transfer from a Supported element.
Trace Elements
A specific resistance alloy from i heating element manufacturer volition non necessarily showroom the aforementioned backdrop when supplied by a different manufacturer. These seemingly like products may have trace elements in addition to their namesake elements, which can drastically affect alloy properties.
Trace elements come in two varieties, contaminates and enhancements. Contaminates have an undesirable effect such equally shorter life and limited temperature range. Trace element enhancements are added on purpose by the manufacturer. Improvements include increased oxide layer adhesion, greater ability to hold a shape, and longer wire life at higher temperatures.
An experienced design engineer will compare alloy properties, filter through tradeoffs, and arrive at the best heating element alloy and material dimensions for the task. He will so piece of work with production to manipulate the material into a dimensional shape and orientation that produces the best outcome for your awarding. A good custom heater store is going to understand how wire and ribbon alloy producers stack upwardly. They have their centre on the marketplace, adept vendor relationships, and favorably negotiated fabric prices.
Process Air Heaters
Process Air Heaters are hot air components used in industrial and commercial processes. Each i is designed to work within a range of temperatures, airflows, and air pressures. Applications include drying, curing, melting, cutting, baking, rut shrinking, de-soldering, metallization, heat staking, sterilization, air scrubbing, laminating, adhesive activation, hot air defunction, and air knives.
A power menses charge per unit temperature calculator uses a formula like Watts = SCFM x ΔT/3 to quickly determine the minimum required wattage for an application. Our visual version of this calculator helps to brand the relationship amongst these variables more intuitive.
Open up Coil
Open coil heaters employ electrically conductive coils commonly made from NiCr or FeCrAl and held or suspended by insulators such as ceramic or mica. They are designed to expose the heating element surface expanse straight to an airflow. The gyre shape allows the designer to pack in a greater amount of heated expanse, increasing contact with the air.
Minimal blockage of the air (resulting in a lower air pressure level drop), uniform chemical element temperature, and reduced areas of chemical element contact without sag are concerns of the heater design engineer. The pick of alloy, gauge, and dimensions are strategically chosen to create a custom solution based on an application'due south unique needs.
When conditions are predominantly convective the temperature of a helical shaped wire can be estimated in an iterative process with a spreadsheet. Click here to read Dexter Diepholz'southward approach.
Serpentine™
Serpentine Technology™ dates back to Tutco-SureHeat origins when GTE Sylvania patented the first design. It has since been the basis for many Tutco SureHeat high-temperature products.
Serpentine™ is used in enervating Process Air Heater applications. Heaters that employ Serpentine Technology™ comprise wire elements wrapped in a protruding style around a non-electrically conducting core. Different coils that would otherwise follow a uniform loop pattern down the length of a tube, Serpentine Technology™ introduces each loop or scroll to an airflow apart from it's neighboring loops.
Also unlike open coils that demand to be suspended, Serpentine Technology™ is somewhat stiff so the elements tin hold their shape around an insulating cadre.
Serpentine Engineering science™ uses low mass high watt density fabric and must be controlled carefully to avert damage that occurs from the elements getting too hot or ramping likewise quickly without acceptable airflow. A closed-loop set-upwardly with a fast control loop (200ms or better) is disquisitional to avert overshoot in high-temperature applications.
Serpentine™ tin can be assembled in a single procedure air heater to produce exceptional amounts of oestrus energy. These heaters are ofttimes custom manufactured and referred to as Specialty Flanged Inline heaters or SFI for brusque. SFI heaters tin can be mammoth in size. In some cases, entire power facilities are built to support the electricity required to operate them. SFI is pop in the areas of combustion research, supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnel, maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) testing, military applications, and academy inquiry. SFI heaters are replacing gas heaters in applications where the byproducts of combustion are not desirable.
Flexible Heaters
Flexible heaters (as well known every bit flex heaters) are surface heaters that tin can be bent to conform to the surface being heated. They can be shaped during manufacturing to fit complex geometries. Flexible heaters contain sparse flick, foil, or wire wound heating elements manufactured from a broad multifariousness of alloys. They have expert dialectic strength and are resistant to many chemicals.
The electrically conductive traces are either attached to a substrate or embedded (sandwiched) inside of multiple layers. They are either cutting or etched past way of a chemical process to create the shape of the heating chemical element traces. A wide variety of electric conductors including stainless, copper, aluminum, nichrome, and more than tin be used. The pick of which conductor to use will primarily depend upon the desired operating temperature and product cost. Budgetary considerations may include the cost to manufacture, the cost to assemble (how do the lead wires get attached for example), and the cost of the heating element material itself.
Silicone Rubber Heaters
Silicone rubber heaters comprise one or more heating elements sandwiched within two pieces of vulcanized silicone condom. The safe is electrically insulating all the same thermally conductive. The elements within are thin foil alloys that have been etched. They can likewise be fabricated with wire though this is increasingly less common. Silicone rubber heaters are durable and versatile products offer up to thirty watts per square inch with temperatures upwards to 220°C (428°F) per UL requirements. They can be designed to exist cutting into any shape. Their ability to flex makes them suitable for many applications with curved and odd-shaped surfaces. You tin can learn more near manufacturing silicone prophylactic heaters in our Engineer Talk whitepaper.
Polyimide Heaters
Likewise called Kapton, polyimide heaters are similar to silicone rubber heaters in that they are sparse flat etched heating elements. They are lighter in weight than silicone and bend more hands. Notable is the very proficient tensile strength of the substrate (polyimide) material. While their max temperature limit tends to be a bit lower than silicone safe they have the ability to dial in very precise temperatures and can do then rapidly. Their ultra-thin profile is appealing for applications in electronics, optics, laboratory, medical, aerospace, and anywhere things need to be very small and lightweight. Applications that require the heating of a lens or glass window volition sometimes utilise a transparent material for the dielectric.
Thick Film Heaters
These low-profile (thin) heaters are manufactured with precision equipment to produce two-dimensional geometries in a wide variety of wattages and voltages. Ideally suited for applications that require rapid response and temperature uniformity. The thin contour is well suited where space is limited. These heaters can achieve very high temperatures.
Thick film heaters are manufactured using a silkscreen type process. This allows for different compositions of conductive inks to command the placement of heat. It also allows for flexible shapes.
Features include existence adaptable to various shapes, uniform conductivity, customize areas of estrus concentration, resistance to corrosive environments, a thin contour, and flexible.
PTC Heaters
PTC Heaters (Positive Temperature Coefficient Heaters) contain trace amounts of an electrically conductive material such as carbon black mixed with an electrically insulating however thermally conductive material such every bit silicone rubber. Ii leads buried within this material practise non physically touch on. The ratio of electrically conductive vs electrically insulating material is carefully controlled during manufacturing. The most notable property of PTC heating elements is that they increase in electrical resistance every bit they get hotter. Engineers brand practiced apply of this holding by designing PTC heaters to cap-out at a specific temperature and thus become self-limiting.
A PTC heater piggybacks this silicone prophylactic heater acting as a pocket-size temperature limiter without the need for bulkier control options. The small evaporator heater blueprint saves the client cost and valuable space within their enclosure.
Embedded Elements
The electrically conductive heat generating material is embedded within an electrical insulating withal thermally conductive textile.
Cartridge Heaters
A cartridge heater contains an electrical coil surrounded by an insulating powder (typically magnesium oxide) and packed within a tapered sheath. All terminals exit the same end. This blazon of heater is usually inserted into a cylindrical pigsty. The size and shape of the diameter also as the size and shape of the heating chemical element is extremely important. At that place should exist a firm uniform fit when energized to achieve safety and efficient conductive heat transfer. Non as well tight or the heater may need to be drilled out when it expires. In some cases, a cartridge heater is used to oestrus a fluid instead of a cake of metallic and volition have fins to increase area.
Strip Heaters
A strip heater is a relatively flat rectangular heater made from a strip of mica that has been wrapped with ribbon wire. That assembly is sandwiched between two more pieces of mica and then encased in a metal sheath.
Strip heaters can be outfitted with fins and they tin can also be specially manufactured for extreme environments. Many terminal styles be for this heater. Cutting-outs and other shape modifications are possible.
Band Heaters
If yous bend a strip heater into the shape of a band then you have a band heater. They are clamped around pipes, barrels, and the base of kettles. They are used to rut fluids and to assist in the melting of solids. The later is very common in the plastics processing industry where plastic pellets must be warmed to a sufficient temperature. This does not in itself melt the plastic but prepares the material for the mechanical procedure that actually does the melting. Sufficient heat is required for the retraction of a large auger used in many plastic manufacturing processes.
Tubular Heaters
Tubular heaters have an electrical coil surrounded by a ceramic insulating pulverisation encased within a metal sheath. The terminals exit opposite ends of the heater. This type of heater typically has a round cross-department though it can exist manufactured into other shapes like square or triangular. They are often manufactured with curves and bends to best support an application. A mutual location to observe a tubular chemical element is within an electrical kitchen oven.
Determining a Solution
In order to arrive at a heating solution ideally suited for your particular awarding, information technology is useful to sympathize how a heater will fit into and support a larger organization. When engaged in design discussions with a client we ask questions in order to understand the application and to build tenable requirements from which we brand design decisions. Initially, we'll want to know some of the more than key requirements.
- What are we heating? A fluid? A solid?
- What is the max operating temperature?
- What is the available power?
Essentially were defining the problem we intend to solve with the heater. Every projection is different and has its own unique heating needs. Decisions regarding dimensions, choice of alloy, and overall heater design will be based on your unique project requirements. There may be whatsoever number of hidden requirements that will touch the management of design so we want to dig deeper whenever possible.
We want to know the start and finishing temperatures, catamenia rates, cycling frequency, ramp speed, peak temperature, electrical ability, thermal controls, and physical space. Each project will take its own unique application circumstances such as environmental contaminants, tolerances, safety, factory assembly and budget to name a few. When faced with a thorough listing of well idea out requirements, proper blueprint choices can progress.
Power & Temperature
The awarding will need to supply plenty power to run the heater. We're going to want to know the available power and any limitations.
Nosotros desire to know the minimum corporeality of power necessary for the application to role properly. A heater does non require the same power all of the time. In that location are moments in fourth dimension when a heater will crave more than power than others. We want to know the most power that volition ever be demanded of that heater. In some applications, max power happens when the heater is fired up and making its way to temperature. In other applications peak is demanded while maintaining an operating temperature. Whichever one of these is higher is a minimum power requirement.
We want to know how much power is needed to successfully heat the thing nosotros are heating within the required amount of time. We could be heating a block of steel, a box of air, a tank of oil, or water flowing in a pipe. Each of these scenarios is simple to estimate if you are willing to forgo some precision. You can encounter calculations with examples in Ian Renwick's Engineer Talk commodity, How Much Wattage do I Demand? Jerry Sain addresses this specifically for heater coils in his paper, Heater Curlicue Design.
Our heater design will non but need to safely and reliably handle the power required but it also needs to deliver the heat. We tin narrow downwards our material and dimension choices for many heater shapes with textbook heat transfer calculations. An arroyo for estimating the temperature produced by a spiral wound wire coil in a period of gas may be less obvious. Dexter Diepholz outlines an approach for this in his Engineer Talk paper, Estimating the Resistance Wire Temperature for an Open up Coil Heating Element.
Watt Density is some other useful style to rapidly compare materials. Measured in Watts/intwo or Watts/mm2 watt density is the total watts of the heating element divided by the surface area that generates the heat. You can learn more in Dexter's white paper, Why Does Watt Density Ever Come up Up When Discussion Heating Elements?
Heating Elements and their Environment
Dissimilar materials will react differently depending upon their environment. It is useful to know if there volition be a high concentration of a particular gas, significant humidity or alloy harming contaminates in the space where the heating element is beingness energized.
Ammonia, sulfur, zinc, chlorine, and boron will bring an early on end to a heater with a poorly matched alloy. For example, chloride contaminates are generally bad for Iron base alloys while sulfides are harmful to Ni-Cr. Process air, industrial cleaners, municipal water supply, and fifty-fifty oil from an installer's fingers may be a source of alloy eating contaminates.
You can acquire more than about extending heater life in Patrick Laws Applied science Talk article, Watts Killing your Heater.
Designing for Preexisting Equipment
Information technology is common for us to pattern a heater for equipment that has already been designed or even manufactured. It is likewise a more than limiting option. Any opportunity to exist involved early in the product blueprint process is going to outcome in a improve product with a improve heating solution at a reduced price.
The corporeality of allowable space for the heater as well as the shape of the space is often the culprit. If your product requires an open coil heater yet we can't get proper airflow across the heater coils and so that is going to exist a problem. Not merely does a preexisting product limit your heater blueprint options it tin become cost-prohibitive or even impossibly difficult to engineer. Nosotros take produced thousands of designs and every bit such we can spot many of the classic pitfalls before they happen.
While early involvement is platonic, we also recognize that such a luxury is non always possible and we are very happy to work with you to engineer a solution at whatsoever stage of your pattern process. Designing innovative heaters to fit difficult requirements is something we have become quite skilful at doing. The post-obit are projects that showcase our engineering prowess when faced with pre-existing limitations.
- Evaporator Heater
- The project required a submersible heater with temperature regulation to fit a very tiny space.
- Miniature Heat Torch For Blood Analyser
- Precision field-replaceable air heater with i" profile to heat a menses of .4 lmp to 380°F (193.3°C) within 3.5 seconds.
- Patient Warming Blanket Heater
- Tight space, controlled ramp-up, and safety were the primary concerns for this surgical room product.
- Custom Heating Element for Medical Storage Device
- This retrofit heater merged the mounting brackets for the fan into the heating element housing.
- Internal Heating Organisation for Medical Imaging
- Turnkey solution including element, blower, sensor, and controller offers fifty-fifty regulated temperature inside the awkward shape of a CT scanner.
Custom Heating Elements
An off-the-shelf solution is often the first consideration as it will be the easiest short-term path if something suitable exists. This does non mean it volition be the best long term value. Product operation, durability, and efficiency are costs non necessarily obvious at the time of purchase.
For products with complex requirements, it may be hard to find an existing heater that makes the grade. A new piece of lab equipment requiring a fast and controlled ramp-upwardly, a high cycling frequency, and an unusually shaped space is probably going to do good from a custom heating chemical element solution. In the easily of experience, you have the all-time opportunity to improve product performance, increase reliability, and reduce cost. You can see examples of custom heating elements on our custom heaters page. Accept notice of what a wide variety of shapes and styles consequence from the needs of a custom awarding.
Heater Life
Good choices in blueprint and textile will better heater life while poor material-to-awarding matches and other bad design choices can effect in plush field replacements, product damage, safety problems, and unhappy customers.
All resistance heating elements eventually burn out. Oxidation, changes in electrical resistance, harm, and deformation are all factors that limit longevity. An experienced heater design engineer can help you avoid classic mistakes and achieve long heater life for your particular application.
Resistance heating alloys form an oxidation layer at higher temperatures. The layer grows quickly at first as the blend is easily able to interact with oxygen in the air. As the layer grows it becomes a protective layer inhibiting admission to oxygen until eventually preventing further oxidation.
The corporeality that the heating alloy expands when heated (referred to every bit an blend's coefficient of thermal expansion) is going to exist different than that of the oxide layer. That difference in thermal expansion equally well every bit the strength of adhesion (the oxide layer'south adhesion to the alloy) has a stiff correlation with heating element longevity.
An oxide layer that remains strongly adhered to the alloy without cracking and spawling will keep to protect the blend. A heating element with a high coefficient of thermal expansion and poor oxide layer adhesion will not last long in an application with rapid temperature cycling.
Warming Cabinet Story
Sometimes lowering the temperature of the heating element is the best solution. An instance of this tin be illustrated with one of our clients who manufacture warming cabinets. A competitor's heater was causing dramatic failures. Our calculations found the watt density to be college than advisable. We introduced our crossflow blower-style heater where we were able to fit more wire in the same space and lower the watt density. This in plow lowered whorl temperature and extended heater life. Good design and attention to detail helped the client avoid those dramatic failures.
Installation & Associates
The ease in which a heating element integrates with an awarding affects cost. Hard and time-consuming product assemblies will burden a manufacturer with labor, unnecessary part inventories, and fewer units going out the door. Field installations and replacements volition accept longer and may crave higher-skilled workers.
A heating element designed for a particular product should issue in superior integration with that product. This volition yield better performance too equally faster field installation and product assembly. In some cases, additional office costs may exist removed also. The following are specific examples where nosotros saved the client price and hassle with install and assembly.
Installation Joy
During a visit with a long fourth dimension customer, nosotros were walking the factory flooring. Nosotros asked an assembler on the floor how we could make the heaters easier to install. All he could comment on was how much of a hurting information technology was to ophidian 48" leads through his gantry. And so when they failed, heaters are like light bulbs in that they do neglect, this customer did not like having to string the lead wires. To solve this problem we now offering a iii pin connector directly on most of our estrus torches. Easy install and easy replacement.
An Elegant Solution
Farnam has a client that makes pump houses for the oil and gas manufacture. Silicone Rubber heaters are used to help the pumps to start in regions where temperatures fall beneath -40. Their biggest claiming is that they had 480V iii-phase running to it. They had to figure out how to go from 480V 3-phase to 120V single stage on these silicone rubber heaters. They were breaking a leg, daisy-chaining heaters, and cobbling stuff together. These were not elegant solutions.
Tutco-Farnam replaced information technology with a 480V 3-Stage silicone rubber heater with a PSA adhesive. No more worrying about changing your voltage. No more daisy-chaining and putting multiple heaters on at that place. One heater to do the trick. Saved the customer fourth dimension on install and it's a much more bonny solution.
Add together-on Saves Time & Hassle
Some of our dehumidification heaters employ jumpers for joining together sections of open-ringlet elements. One particular client preferred to wire them up in-house. They wanted to be able to do their own custom configurations.
Equally it turns out, the product assemblers were cut their own jumpers. This seemingly small step was taking a long time thus slowing downwards production. The assemblers were not pleased with this actress step either.
Tutco-Farnam offered to produce the jumpers and send them with a line of heaters that nosotros were already making for the customer. Nosotros nix-tied a full gear up of jumpers to each unit with easy access for the assemblers. This saved them oodles of time!
The value-added was so successful that the inclusion of jumpers is at present shipped standard with all of their dehumidification heaters. We added value to an existing production, we saved the customer time and the purchasing agent looks like a hero.
Value-Add westward/ Packaging
One twenty-four hours while visiting a customer nosotros noticed a shelf being stocked with our heaters. The employee opened the box, pulled out the production dividers, and then, one by one, put the heaters on the shelf. On the reverse side, an assembler grabbed a few heaters and fix them upwards on the bench for assembly.
Our solution: Nosotros made the packaging a smidgen thicker. This small change allows the dividers to stand up up with the heaters facing the assembler. This eliminated the step of moving individual heaters to and from the shelf. The entire packaging is placed on the shelf and the assembler tin can only pull, pull, pull as heaters are needed. At Tutco-Farnam we go the extra mile to create value for our customers.
Cost Savings Retrofit
A customer of ours was using an former screw flange style light bulb to heat their pneumatic delivery systems for moisture prevention and freeze protection. They evolved from that solution to a cartridge heater that had a funky bottom on it that screwed in. Information technology was very expensive as was the base associates. The client was frustrated with the accelerating toll.
Tutco-Farnam vulcanized a silicone rubber heater to a piece of bending and matched the mounting holes on the faceplate. The costly sheathed element AND the socket information technology fits into were eliminated. Using two screws the field tech attaches the silicone rubber enclosure heater, hooks up two wires in a quick connect, and the task is washed. Field installation couldn't be simpler.
The result is a super simple field installation with dramatic cost savings. Because of the retrofit, the sometime heater and base assembly could be removed entirely. The new silicone safe heater cost less than the base assembly alone, not including the old heater toll. By understanding our client'south needs nosotros were able to offer a cost and time savings solution.
No More Production Headaches
Nosotros learn that one of our customers was sourcing a minimum order of 3,000 fans at a time with a twenty week pb fourth dimension from China. They hold those while they bring in a plate, 4 bolts, iv lock washers, 4 nuts, another bracket for a thermostat, and the actual thermostat from all of these different vendors. They take vendor relationships, function numbers and inventory to manage while deciding on a monthly basis if they are going to make the assembly in-firm or take someone else practice it.
Tutco-Farnam provided a custom solution completely assembled in a box with instructions. No more inventory and assembly headaches. By listening to our client nosotros were able to assist reduce assembly cost, increment the rate of production, and simplify their inventory equally well as their purchasing.
The Cost of Quality
Nosotros had a customer in the plastic process industry that had left us because of pricing. They were happy with our quality and our delivery but they wanted a price that we couldn't come across and still be profitable. 5 years pass and we go a telephone phone call. Heaters are declining in the field and they are tired of the poor quality they are getting from their current supplier.
Consider what this is costing them. One of their units requires ten heaters. They get installed and tested. Three neglect. Those get yanked out. Then the visitor has to have its customer service people request an RMF and send it back. When the replacements come up back they take to reinstall them and test again. Now they're late on their units. In improver, they had products failing in the field. It is declining for their customers and they're paying a field technician to become out and prepare their units.
This company started realizing those costs and that is why they came back to us. We modified the heater to perfectly meet their needs. We cost more than the cheaper choice upfront but when they realized everything involved they realized that the Tutco-Farnam solution is a massive cost saving and nosotros're also saving their reputation.
Conversations Pb to Understanding
The conversation between a specialist and a client is where the existent value begins. Information technology takes a willingness to listen and engage. Information technology's too your all-time take a chance to observe any pitfalls and hidden gems.
At Tutco-Farnam we are both awarding and customer committed. An engineer looks at every opportunity that comes in. We listen and nosotros employ what we've learned. Customers often encounter something on our website and say, 'hey, that looks similar what I desire.' We then work with them to understand the requirements and guide them towards something that is going to work best.
The following are examples where conversations lead to understanding, which afterwards resulted in marked improvements for our clients.
Resin Drying
While visiting a long term customer in the plastic procedure, resin drying concern we went to lunch with our buyer and the service director. The service managing director was recently back from a local phone call and was lament almost fiberglass making him scratchy. At the time nosotros were wrapping all of their heaters in fiberglass insulation to reduce heat loss and proceed operators from burning themselves on the outside of the heater. As nosotros ate we determined that something non-fiberglass, reusable, and robust would be platonic. From at that place we developed our insulation blankets. No more scratchy fiberglass for them once again!
Flexo Printing
The flexographic industry heavily uses our Flow Torches. Spending fourth dimension on production floors showed us that near customers were modifying our heaters to the point where they were voiding the warranty. We assembled all the modifications we were seeing and now offering most of those modifications as standard options for our Flow Torch Family. This would include reducers, both with and without NPT threads, flanges, five band connectors, raised junction boxes for higher inlet temps, and plugs for atomic number 82 wires or junction boxes.
Tire Refill Station
Nicer convenience stores and truck stops take vacuums for cleaning your vehicle and air compressors to fill your tires. Those units require heat to keep the electronics from freezing. Estrus can also be used to keep the tip of the tire refill nozzle from freezing while sitting in its holder.
Traditionally you lot'd use a strip heater. The downside of those includes rising costs (due to their material makeup) and bulk. Open ringlet air heaters are not a smashing solution because these units suck air in from the outside where at that place are dust, rain, and pollution that will damage the heating coils.
Our Solution: Tutco-Farnam created a silicone prophylactic heater that is a 20%-25% savings for the client. It mimics the shape of the thin strip heaters being replaced with the exception that it is a lot thinner. It is substantially a silicone rubber strip heater retrofit. As older units get refurbished the customer pulls out the onetime mica strip heater and puts in our new custom enclosure heater.
At Tutco-Farnam we go the actress mile to understand the needs of our customers. For this client it allowed u.s. to provide an elegant solution that best suited the application while saving the client coin.
Chocolate Enrobing
A customer that makes chocolate enrobing equipment for the confectionery industry was seeking a better solution for melting chocolate. Foods that are coated with chocolate by enrobers include nuts, ice cream, toffee, biscuits, and cookies. Enrobing equipment replaces the task of hand-dipping these items. Traditionally air is drawn across a lite bulb and the chocolatier fluctuates the variables to keep the chocolate flowing with the right consistency. Tutco-Farnam replaced the lightbulb within the enrobing auto with a custom air heater that includes the fan and assembly. We besides made it retrofittable across the board. Tutco-Farnam created a more efficient and consistent solution with finer temperature control. It is besides easy to install.
Safety Stock Program
During a customer meeting with a heat staking customer, nosotros were trying to avert the rush-rush orders they were constantly placing. Information technology seems their service section was constantly robbing from product and vice versa and it was not until the next week they would realize they were out. Like most of our customers, they were also existence pressed to reduce inventory. To avoid this we established a safety stock program at Farnam for them so their heaters were never more than than a day or two away. No more rush-rush orders.
Pocket-sized Container A/C
We have a client that makes air conditioners for pocket-size containers. These are enclosures that have to be kept absurd. At home, yous'd normally take an air conditioner that is running and water that drips out the back, outside of the business firm. We don't want that water dripping within the enclosure. The customer had information technology going into a small tray and was hoping that it would naturally evaporate. That wasn't happening speedily enough and they were getting leaks. Tutco-Farnam came back with a flexible waterproof heater with a force per unit area-sensitive adhesive. The client is now able to go dorsum into the field and hands install the heater inside of every unmarried drip tray. Our small heater helps the h2o evaporate faster. No more h2o running on the floor.
Getting Started with Tutco-Farnam
Tutco-Farnam is a heating element manufacturer specializing in custom heaters large and small-scale. We have used a variety of electrically resistive metallic and intermetallic alloys in over ii,000 custom designs. You tin can find examples of our heating elements on our custom heaters folio.
Contact u.s. about your unique application needs and see what Tutco-Farnam tin can do for you.
Source: https://farnam-custom.com/heating-elements?locale=en