Flexible Heaters

Silicone heaters and Kapton heaters are preferred surface heating elements for laboratory equipment and medical technology due to their easy handling and variety of shapes. Like Kapton polyimide heating foils, silicone heaters are resistant to continuous temperatures of up to 200 °C, with self-adhesive foil up to 180 °C. When designing silicone heaters and Kapton foil heaters, the designer has almost unlimited degrees of freedom. This applies to the minimum and maximum dimensions, which are set within wide limits, as well as to contours and recesses, holes and feed-throughs of any kind. The good shape flexibility of silicone heating mats and foils as well as Kapton polyimide heaters also enables the heating of cylindrical, conical or rounded surfaces. The resistance of polyimides to fungi, bacteria, ozone, weather, ageing and most chemicals, acids and solvents is very good, making polyimide (Kapton) heaters an ideal solution for many critical applications.

Flexible silicone heaters are resistant to permanent temperatures up to 200°C, with self-adhesive foil 180°C should not be exceeded. Higher temperatures of 230°C are possible for a short time without destroying the heater. The temperature that will be reached within the application, generally is not easy to predict, as there are many influencing factors. In addition to the power, resp. surface load, this also includes mass and type of the material to be heated (thermal conductivity, surface quality, etc.) installation / assembly situation (bonded, vulcanised, clamped, etc.), ambient temperature, air movement and, of course, the control technology used. Application examples for silicone heater mats include: canteen kitchen technology / catering, anti-fog and anti-freeze applications, tool or plate heating in machines, 3D printers, laboratory equipment, composite materials repair, joint curing and much more.

Polyester heaters also referred to as Polyester film heaters or Polyester foil heaters consist of an electrically conductive ink between two insulating respectively carrier layers of polyester. With a maximum size of 600 x 1000 mm, their average height is only 0.2 mm. As the picture examples show, practically any shape and type of cut-out is possible. Polyester foil heaters are resistant to permanent temperatures of up to 90°C (max. 100°C for short periods). It is generally not possible to predict which temperature a Polyester heating element will reach in the application, as there are extremely many influencing factors. These include not only the power, but also the mass and type of goods to be heated, the ambient temperature, air currents, the type of mounting and, of course, the control technology. Typical applications for Polyester heaters are e.g. cup warmers in coffee machines, mirror heaters, plate heat exchangers, flat applications with a target temperature below 90°C.

In general, a Kapton film heater is always more expensive than a silicone heater or polyester heater. Where chemical resistance or the weight of the flexible heating element plays an important role, however, Kapton heaters are the ideal solution. The resistance of Kapton Polyimide to fungi, bacteria, ozone, weather, ageing and most chemicals, acids and solvents is very good, so that heating elements made of Polyimide (Kapton) are an ideal solution for many critical applications. Kapton foil heaters are also silicone-free and are characterised by an even heat distribution. The dielectric strength of a Polyimide film is very high and so the flexible Kapton (Polyimide) heater can be very thin. Due to the small thickness, the heat transfer to the component is improved and higher surface loads are possible. Typical applications for Kapton film heaters are: Laboratory technology, aircraft electronics, printers, diagnostic instruments, vacuum chambers, medical equipment and many more.