What is a Cartridge Heater & How does it work?
A cartridge heater is an industrial heating element in the shape of a tube that can be put into holes that have been drilled. Cartridge heaters are often used in the heating process industry because they can heat a small area precisely. Most of the time, cartridge heaters are used to heat a metal block from the inside. Depending on the application, they can be made to have a specific watt density. If you looking for an RTD sensor supplier, no need to look further.
Most of the time, cartridge heaters are put into holes in metal parts to heat them up. The heaters are made a little smaller than their nominal diameter so that they are easier to install.
What does a Cartridge Heater do:
A cartridge heater has a resistance coil wrapped around a ceramic core. The ceramic core is surrounded by a dielectric, and the whole thing is wrapped in metal. The sheath gets hot because power heat moves from the coil to the sheath. This heat is then sent to the metal part inside that needs heat.
Most of the time, a general-purpose drill is enough to drill holes for a cartridge heater in a low or medium-temperature application (600°F or less). Holes can be drilled.003″ to.008″ larger than the drill’s nominal size, which gives fits of.009″ to.014″. Even though this fit is a bit looser than what would be best for heat transfer, it makes it easier to put in and take out cartridge heaters, especially those with long sheaths. At high-watt densities, it’s much more important to have a close fit. Instead of just drilling the holes with a general-purpose bit, they should be drilled and reamed. If the parts fit together better, the heater will run cooler and last longer.
What are the temperatures at which a Cartridge Heater Works:
Cartridge heaters can work at low, medium, or high-watt densities. They are made to work in temperatures as high as 1400°F. But the best operating temperature for the cartridge heater will depend on how you are going to use it.
It’s also important to remember that the actual temperature of an industrial heater and the monitored temperature of a material during the heating cycle can be affected by many things, such as the watt density of the cartridge heater, how tight the cartridge fits in the hole, and how well the material being heated conducts heat. For applications with high temperatures, such as those above 1000°F, Incoloy sheaths are recommended because they transfer heat well and last a long time.
It is also essential to think about how the electrical end of a cartridge will work with the temperature at which it will be used. When cartridge heaters are used at relatively high temperatures, the electric terminals should either be different from the common high-temperature lead wires or the cartridge should be made so that the temperature around the lead wires stays lower than the temperature limit of the lead wire. We are the most reliable and affordable Cartridge heater supplier online.
What Can you do with a Cartridge Heater:
Most of the time, cartridge heaters are put into drilled holes to heat dies, platens, moulds, and other metal parts. They can also be used in situations where they are put in liquid. Here are some examples of how it can be used:
- Heating up liquids and gases
- Hot runner molds
- Hot stamping
- Presses for laminating
- Medical equipment
- Molding semi-conductors out of plastic
- Scientific equipment
- Controls and sensors for temperature for cartridge heaters
The sensor for controlling the temperature is also important, and it should be put between the part’s working surface and the heaters. From the graph, the maximum allowable Watt density is chosen based on the temperature of the part that is about 1/2 inch away from the heaters. In applications with a high Watt density, power control is an important thing to think about. On-off control is often used, but it can cause large changes in the heater’s and working parts’ temperatures.
Characteristics:
High-Watt-density heaters that have thyristor power controls can last longer because they don’t turn on and off as often. There are different types of temperature controllers and sensors that can be used for other tasks. Surface mount temperature sensors are one of the most common types of sensors used with carbide heaters. Thermocouples, RTDs, and Thermistors can have an adhesive back or be glued to the surface that is being heated.
There are also temperature sensors that screw on or have a magnetic surface mount. Digital temperature controllers come in a variety of sizes and have a lot of different output and input options. With a dc pulse output, the most common inputs are thermocouple and RTD. DC pulse outputs let the user switch the heater load with a larger relay and use proportional control instead of an on/off switch, which can shorten the life of the heater.
Pros And Cons:
The Electric Tube that Heats Up:
I think everyone knows what it is. In fact, it is a more powerful version of “Heat Fast.” A high-power heating tube heats the water. After the water boils, drops of water splash out, and after the drop, water flows.
Advantage:
- The temperature of the heater is high. Since hot water comes out after the water is heated and boiled, the water temperature will always be above 96°C.
- It loses less heat. Since the heating tube is surrounded by water, all of the heat is absorbed by the water. This makes it more efficient than the electric heating tube that has been used for years.
Disadvantages:
- It’s the same as the old-fashioned heating tube. Problems with the product’s quality, like tubes that burst, make it much less safe.
- The scale issue stands out. Scale is a very serious problem, especially in Hebei and Shanxi, where the water quality is bad.
- It has more power, usually more than household wires can handle, and is used more in public places.
Technology for Screen-Printing Thick Films with Heaters:
The electric heating element is made on a metal substrate by printing, pasting, sintering, and other methods using rare earth electronic paste with semiconductor far-infrared function. Most of the time, the water channel works together to get the best effect when applied.
Advantage:
- It is made of stainless steel, so it has a high mechanical strength and is still very reliable when the temperature is high.
- Water and electricity are kept completely separate. Both sides of the stainless steel have a thick heating film and water, and both the heating film and the stainless steel are covered with a high-insulation coating, which solves the problem of leakage completely.
- Water can be made to be different temperatures. With water channels and applications for metal thick film, it can fully exchange heat, reduce surface problems with metal thick film, and make it last longer. The biggest benefit of metal thick film is that it makes the water temperature more even and easier to control. It also lets you get hot water at different temperatures, such as boiling, warm, and low.
- Accurate temperature control. The temperature can be controlled to within 2°C, which is much more accurate than the 5–10°C range of other heating methods.
- Flow heating reduces the amount of scale that is made and kept.
