Many factories use heat in their manufacturing. However, traditional heaters often waste energy through overheating or may not fit well. New, flexible custom heaters may work better. These are made to match each unique use. Continue reading to discover how flexible heating can enhance industrial processes.
Flexible custom heaters provide versatile, energy-efficient precision heating technology designed for today’s complex and diverse industrial heating solutions. Customized directly for each unique application across industries, flexible heaters can transform production by enhancing consistency, speed, quality, safety, and reliability compared to outdated alternatives.
The Problem with Legacy Heating Methods
Traditional industrial heating methods, such as ovens and mechanical heaters, have undergone minimal changes over the decades. Constrained by inflexible designs unsuitable for many applications, legacy heaters force compromises:
- Slow heating and cooling cycles reduce throughput
- Inconsistent temperatures limit product quality
- Oversized units waste substantial energy
- Hazards to workers and products pose risks
The Promise of Adaptable, Flexible Heating
Engineered with advanced materials using the latest in thermal modeling software, custom flexible heaters provide specialized heating matched precisely to any industrial process. Flexible heaters can be used with liquids, gases, pastes, and almost any small or large thing you need to be heated. There are many options for how they can be made to fit and heat unique items.
Heating Strips
Thin silicone rubber heat strips are for heating smooth surfaces. The rubber is stamped with tiny heating wires, like an electric blanket. Heating strips can heat a wide area or be cut to size.
Read more: Heatwell Heater Reviews
Heating Tubes
Thin heating tubes are designed for slowly warming flowing liquids. The tubes have heat wires inside the silicone rubber walls. Their size and temperature are controlled to safe levels for heating oils, water, or other gentle liquids.
Wrap-Around Bands
Wide flexible heater bands wrap fully around barrels, hoses, or similar round items that need to be heated. The tightness of the band is adjustable based on the object’s thickness to transfer heat efficiently into its entire surface.
Heating Blankets
These sandwich-insulated mats with heating surfaces in between. The mat shape molds evenly around flat or oddly shaped items with uniform heating across edges, curves, or texture. Outer insulation holds in the heat directly where it’s needed on the surface of the object, like a heated blanket.
Superior Performance
Flexible heaters offer improved production speed, quality, and safety while reducing heating costs compared to older methods. They can cut energy use by up to 60% through
Faster Heating
Flexible heaters apply heat instantly. They have no heavy metal to slowly warm up in the system. Just turn the power on for instant heating to start processes faster.
Accurate Temperatures
Precise tuning holds a very accurate temperature across the whole heated surface, within +/- 1° degree F. This helps make products better and consistent quality.
Safer Operation
Low working temperatures and no dangerously hot spots prevent staff burn risks. Flexible heaters raise the total surface only to mildly warm levels.
Energy Saving
They only apply heat directly where needed on the product, not waste elsewhere. Other heaters warm entire rooms which is very wasteful. Flexible direct heating takes much less energy.
Affordable Options
Lots of size choices at reasonable costs fit any budget. You choose the right amount of heating for your item’s area and temperature requirements.
Customization for any Application
Flexible heaters are uniquely designed to facilitate easy customization for nearly any heating application across various industries. Their adaptable construction makes them a versatile solution rather than being limited to a single application like other types of heaters. Some common uses where flexible heater customization is well-suited include
Product Packaging
In packaging factories, flexible heaters efficiently heat sealing equipment and plastic wrappers to optimal bonding temperatures without overheating. This allows faster and more consistent seals or laminations holding packaged products together.
Commercial Food Service
Restaurants, cafeterias, and caterers use customized flexible heating blankets or pads to keep prepared foods safely held at optimum serving temperatures for hours without losing quality or drying out.
Medical Industry
Precision control of gentle, even heat enables uses like warming intravenous fluid bags or blood products to body temperature before procedures. Flexible incubator heating mats maintain consistent warm womb-like conditions for cell tissue cultures to grow undisturbed.
Industrial Manufacturing
Molding plastics or curing glues work best at specific temperatures. Large and oddly shaped stamping dies or bonding tools require conformal flexible heaters to speed up repetitive precision processes.
Automotive Assembly
Heated application rollers guide custom plastic panels to perfectly fit complex curves on each unique car shape. Dashboards have flexible circuits to gently heat targeted zones for consistent airbag expansions in testing or live deployments.
Conclusion
Old school heaters are rigid with basic control. Custom flexible heaters fit any surface shape or size needed. They offer much more efficient precision heating that costs less, saves energy, and works faster. Factories in industries such as food, medicine, electronics, and more can produce faster, safer, and higher-quality products with flexible process heating tailored to their specific needs.
Key Takeaways
- Adaptable design suits virtually any unique heating need or irregular surface
- Energy savings of 50% or more versus conventional heaters
- Consistent precision temperature accuracy across the entire heating zone
- Faster heating response times speed up production throughput
- Lower operating temperatures increase workplace safety
- Long service lifespan with flexible durability
- Custom-engineered solutions to optimize any process
FAQs
What industries can benefit most from custom flexible heaters?
Almost any industry stands to gain from properly customized flexible heating solutions including packaging, food production, medical, automotive, aerospace, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals processing.
How quick is the ROI when upgrading to flexible heaters?
Most manufacturers switching from legacy heating see complete ROI in less than 2 years through factors like energy savings, reduced scrap, and increased production speed and capacity.
Can custom heaters work in explosive environments?
Yes, flexible heaters are available and approved as safe for hazardous locations and can be intrinsically safe with proper grounding, leakage, and temperature control.
How long do flexible heaters typically last?
10-20 years based on design quality with only silicone rubber heaters lasting 30+ years thanks to flexibility and corrosion resistance properties.
Do flexible heaters need special controllers?
Sometimes. Integrated thermal sensors and PID controllers enable precise tuning for some. Yet external thermostats or controllers may be preferred for easy integration with existing systems.