Silicon Heaters for Low and Medium Temperature Applications

The silicon heaters are used in a wide range of applications like food service equipment, freeze protection and condensation prevention for instrumentation and equipment, photo copy machines etc. In short, it is used in places which require low to medium temperature applications. These are hence also used in the medical industry in applications like medical respirators and ultrasonic cleaners. These kind of heaters are made out of a stranded wire (mostly Ni-Chrome) or an etched foil sandwiched between layers of Silicon rubber. Even the electronic industry makes use of these heater types for maximum moisture protection.

Why Silicon Heaters?

So what makes silicon heaters ideal choice for these application areas? The answer is that they offer flexibility without compromising on the durability quotient. Moreover they have excellent temperature properties for the best results. Additionally, when reinforced with fiberglass, you can get extra stability for best results. As per your requirement, you can get heaters that come with PSA backing (pressure sensitive adhesive) or it can be vulcanized to metal parts. Hence, it need not be mentioned here that with silicon heaters you can benefit immensely as they can be factory vulcanized to metal parts and allows for low gas permeability. With waterproof characteristics, they can even be used in places where there are chances of corrosion and other related problems. Moreover, these heaters are resistant to ripping/ tearing and thermal/mechanical shock, which make them ideal for use in heavy duty applications.

Factors Affecting Choice of Heaters

However, there are many factors that are dependent on the selection of the heaters. Whether you should use silicon heaters is determined by max temperature, Watts per square inch, overall weight (in such application as aerospace industry) and of course the type of application used. These heaters are especially of great use in situations which does not conform to the standard shapes, sizes and dimensions of band, strip, cartridge, tubular and open coil air heaters. To get the best from these heaters, it is recommended that a thin layer of aluminum is added prior to the adhesive layer, in order to improve heat transfer and maintain its uniformity. This is similar to the PVC heaters, which is used in humid conditions.

All said and done, you might wonder what consists of low to medium temperature applications. Well, the silicon heaters with flex circuits can be expected to perform from -100 to +450 F, and the maximum short term service temperature can be extended as high as 500 F with the addition of certain heat stabilizing agents. Whether you need heaters for heating drums and tanks, or for heating oil and battery; use silicon heaters in all low to medium temperature applications and get amazing results.

About the Author

Backer Heating Technologies is well known to satisfy the warmth needs of its customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Using European engineering they provide quality heating products such as flexible heaters, Mylar heater, Immersion Heater, PTC heater, waterbed heaters, polyimide heater.