Coil Heaters

Coil heaters

Coil heaters are straight segments of a heating cable that have been formed into a coiled pattern. This increases the heat transfer ability and surface area, but uses more energy and watt density. Coil heaters may be bent to a custom size or shape, including round, coiled, spiral wound, which are used when high temperatures are needed in confined areas, or star wound, which are placed in pipes and ducts to create a turbulent flow in air or liquid. They are used in a number of applications in the heating, plastic manufacturing, food processing, textile, and paper processing industries. Holding tanks, blow molding machines, candy extruders, bag sealing, and hot metal forming punches all use coil heaters.

Operating on AC voltages, coil heaters provide a uniform heat pattern over a wide area up to 1200 degrees F. They are annealed and made of aluminum, brass, copper, iron nickel or steel exterior and ceramic, mica or fiberglass insulation. Depending on the metal, some coil heaters are corrosion resistant and may be immersed in heated substances or used in cryogenic applications. They come in different shapes and sizes, including flat, round, mini, which is the smallest available, maxi, which is the largest and most durable, and low profile, which is also flat. Some are made with a lock positioning ring, which makes installation easier, or are cast in brass, which is useful in nozzle-to-nozzle repeatability.