Are you wondering if a strip heater is the right heating element for your needs? Well, it is not surprising at all because there are so many different heating elements available on the market to choose from. Finding the most suitable for your needs can become a challenge. Here is a guide to a strip heater manufacturer about these heating devices.
What is a strip heater used for?
Strip heaters are used primarily for conventional heating purposes and clamp-on installations. These devices are clamped or bolted onto objects in a particular order to heat a variety of materials. When used as radiant heaters, they will include some fine strips which will maximize the surface area and transfer heat onto the air.
Strip heaters consist of the following: heating elements, mounting hardware, and protective sleeve.
Insulation
The majority of strip heaters are equipped with insulation materials to prevent heat losses to the environment. The common insulation materials that are used include mica, magnesium oxide, fiberglass, ceramic materials, and minerals.
Mounting styles
The strip heater has several mounting styles. Some devices will include mounting tabs that have slots, mounting tabs with holes, or slots or holes without tabs. Others containing a butt case are usually placed in a milled slot sandwiched by two steel plates which provide surface contact on each side of the heater.
Protective sleeve
The sleeve or jacket includes iron, steel, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminized steel, and zinc-coated steel. Selecting strip heaters for your needs requires critical analysis of electrical outputs, power requirements, and physical dimensions.
Output and power requirement
You need to pay attention to the most critical outputs and power requirements, including maximum operating temperature, voltage, watts, alternating current (AC), and watt density.
Physical specification
The most crucial physical specification to look out for when choosing a strip heater is strip thickness, strip length, and strip width.
Termination types
There are different varieties of termination types for strip heaters. They include horizontal leads that usually run down the entire length of the heater, terminal box connections which are made through a protective enclosure and found on the surface of the heater, opposite end post which locates a post at the end of the heater, tandem posts which are aligned along the entire length of the heater and parallel ports which are lined along the width of the heater.
Other common termination styles for strip heaters usually use flexible conduit leads, insulated leads, and the metal braided leads.
Features
Strip heaters offer a diversity of features. These include devices with ports, cutouts, or holes which allow installation of thermocouples, temperature probes, or instruments. Products that contain a distributed wattage arrangement usually use a particular type of coil pattern that concentrates heat distribution. There are also strip heaters that have four enclosed sides, which are designed to thwart pollution. Further, you will find devices made of corrosion-resistant materials which are suitable for an acidic environment or corrosive.
Although you will find most strip heaters containing a protective sheath or sleeve, there are so many devices preventing open-element heating elements from choosing from.
