In this video, one of our engineers, Kyle Otte, explains the different types of junctions available on thermocouples:
grounded
ungrounded
exposed
He also describes each of their uses and purposes for thermocouples. For more information on the different types of thermocouple junctions, view this blog post.
In this video, Thermal Corporation Engineer, Kyle Otte, provides some tips and tricks to help you extend the life of your cartridge heater! All of our cartridge heaters are made right here in Madison, Alabama in the USA. For more information about Thermal Corporation cartridge heaters and how they are made, click here. For a list of configurations and styles of Thermal Corporation cartridge heaters, visit our cartridge heater configurations page.
Have a question?
Contact our engineers at engineering@thermalcorp.com or by using our instant chat feature located at the bottom right of the page.
In this video, Kyle Otte, an engineer here at Thermal Corporation, addresses a question we receive often regarding Ease-Aid. Ease-Aid is a release and heat transfer agent made by Thermal Corporation for use with cartridge heaters. He also demonstrates the correct way to apply it to a cartridge heater and provides some helpful tips about this product.
Click here to view a list of all Thermal Corporation cartridge heater configurations.
Ease-Aid is listed under our General Accessories page. Please call, email, or chat with us to place an order for Ease-Aid today!
In this video, Thermal Corporation Engineer, Kyle Otte, explains how to identify different types of thermocouples by…
plug or jack
lead
color code chart
He also explains a case study in which the customer did not know which type of thermocouple he had.
Looking at the chart, Kyle is able to show you how to determine your type of thermocouple.
To see the color code chart that Kyle mentions in the video, click here.
View all of our Thermocouple & RTD Configurations. We manufacture all of our products in-house right here in the USA! Great quality. Competitive pricing. The Fastest Shipping in the Industry!
In this video, Kyle Otte gives some tips on how to extend the life of your Thermal Corporation band heater. These tips include those such as: handling the band heater with care, avoiding excessive cycling, and process temperature limits for both mica bands and ceramic bands.
The mica band heater used in this video features our NEW! Latch and Trunnion Closure System! For more information about our latch and trunnion option for band heaters, read our blog post!
To request a quote for a mica band heater, click here! Direct any questions you have to our customer service department by phone at (800) 633-2962, by email at sales@thermalcorp.com, or by using our instant chat feature located at the bottom of the page.
In this how-to video, our Thermal Corporation engineer, Kyle Otte, explains how to correctly insert a cartridge heater into a mold, block, or any other heating application.
We often get questions from customers asking us how to find the correct measurement of a band heater when sending in a quote for an order. Kyle Otte, an engineer at Thermal Corporation, explains how to measure a mica band heater in this video blog below!
Have any other questions?
Are you still a little confused on how to get the correct measurements, or have a related question? Contact our engineers and they will be happy to assist you! The Engineering Department contact information is below for your convenience.
We often get questions regarding how much power (or wattage) is needed to maintain a process at a certain temperature. That is a complex question. In this article, we will discuss the general concepts that are used to determine wattage needs.
Energy Balance
First, we start with a simple energy balance: Ein = Eout
Ein is the rate of energy coming into the system. This is the wattage that is generated by the heater when an electrical current is passed through a resistance element inside the heater. Every heater is stamped with a wattage and a voltage. So, energy coming into the system is a variable that can be controlled. Eout is the rate at which energy leaves the system. Eout is often what we want to determine because we can control Ein (the rate of energy coming in) and set it equal to this value. This consists of energy that is input into the process and leaves the system, e.g., plastic is melted, formed into a part, and then ejected from a machine. The heat that is absorbed by that plastic leaves the system. Eout also consists of power that is lost to the surroundings and is not used by the process. We call this waste heat. So, we need to determine both of those components. Power lost to the atmosphere can be approximated using heat loss graphs that are readily available online. In most cases, a wide variety of surface conditions, temperatures, and insulation thicknesses are plotted on these graphs. The end result of this calculation should yield a rate of energy loss (typically in watts per square inch) that is lost to the surroundings.
Rate of Energy Consumption
Next, we’ll look at the rate of energy consumption of the process. This is often much more complicated to determine.
For Example…
Let’s look at a process where we heat a chunk of polypropylene plastic from a temperature of 100°C to melting temperature (175°C). We are going to process one of these blocks of plastic every 15 minutes. The correct equation is:
where, E = power required in watts m = mass(kg) (25 in our example) cp = specific heat (Joules/kg°C) (1,920 in our example) = change in temperature (°C) (75 in our example) t = time in seconds (900 in our example)
Using the numbers above, we calculate that E = 4,000 which means we need 4,000 watts for this process. We can now add this 4,000W to the heat lost to the surroundings that we found on the approximate heat loss curve. That will give us a total steady-state wattage that we need to keep our process functioning.
Some Important Notes
Start up time is often an important consideration for selecting heaters.
Using the simple example above, if we wanted to heat the same mass of polypropylene from room temperature to melting temperature in the same amount of time, we would need more wattage.
No matter what the calculations say, it is a good idea to add 20% to this power requirement as a “safety factor” when sizing heaters. Why?
It is always good to allow for some error in the calculations.
Heater lifetime is improved if the heater does not run 100% of the time. The ideal run time, using a short cycle time, is 75% – 80%.
Written by Kyle Otte Edited by Shelby Reece Date Published: 04.17.2019 Last Updated: 01.29.2020
Vented band heaters are used for high temperature heating and cooling extrusion processes.
Standard Ceramic Band Heaters
Typical ceramic bands contain an extra layer of insulating ceramic paper laid on top of the ceramic knuckles with the intention of focusing heat into the extrusion barrel or process. In fact, Thermal Corporation offers a “Heat Saver” option on ceramic bands which is an additional layer of thicker ceramic paper that increases efficiency and heat retention. Typical ceramic bands have a polished stainless steel outer sheath that reflects heat back into the process and slows radiation losses. In short, most ceramic band heaters are designed to keep heat in and minimize heat losses to the atmosphere.
Vented Band Heaters
Vented bands reverse this equation. The goal is no longer to solely focus heat back into the process, but rather to maintain heating capability while also allowing heat to easily escape when cooling is needed. In pursuit of this goal, vented band heaters have no ceramic paper insulation. There are no added layers to trap heat. Additionally, the outer sheath has holes cut in it to allow maximum air flow for heat removal.
How Do We Achieve This?
Thermal Corporation uses a unique triangle type pattern for the vented outer sheath. This allows for a large percentage of open area across the heater, which speeds cooling, while also maintaining a rigid construction. Additionally, holes can be built into the heater itself allowing air to reach the barrel directly. Note that adding holes to the heater will limit the total wattage available.
Click here to contact Thermal Corporation regarding your specific application requirements.
Written by Kyle Otte Edited by Shelby Reece Date Published: 03.18.2019 Last Updated: 09.03.2019
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