Engineer Insight

Ask Ian: Increasing Conductive Heater Element Life

Does continuous operation shorten heater element life? It’s a common question, and frankly, the answer is yes. All heating wire will eventually fail over time, but it is possible to improve the life of the heater by following these recommendations. All heater types require a balance of cooling and voltage control to avoid overshoot failures. If a heater’s watt density is too high, the heater will quickly get too hot. It’s this accumulation of heat and the resulting oxidation of the internal components that ultimately lead to the death of a heater.

Ask Ian - Cartridge Heaters: Minimizing Failures

by Ian Renwick

There are several bad things you can do to a cartridge heater (any heater actually) that may damage it or shorten its life. In this installment of Ask Ian, we look at heater abuse and things to avoid.

Ask Ian - Cartridge Heaters: Heating Liquids

by Ian Renwick

In this article, we discuss heating liquids and the wattage requirements for heating various materials. If used and controlled properly, cartridge heaters can provide a long-term solution for many conductive process heating applications.

Ask Ian - Cartridge Heaters: Heater and Hole Fit

by Ian Renwick

Cartridge Heaters can be a great choice for many applications that require heat. If used and controlled properly, cartridge heaters can provide a long-term solution for many conductive process heating applications.

Ask Ian - Applied Voltage vs. Rated Voltage?

by Ian Renwick

The ratio between applied and rated voltage is a square relationship. That means that applying twice the rated voltage to a heater does not produce twice the power (wattage).

Ask Ian - How to Correctly Install a Band Heater

by Ian Renwick

When installing a band heater, it is important that it be well seated on a clean smooth surface and be tightened so that good heat transfer occurs between the heater and the body being heated.

Ask Ian - What is Ohm’s Law?

by Ian Renwick

Electric heater characteristics can be described fairly well with four simple variables. They are wattage (power), voltage, current (in amps), and resistance (in ohms). There is an interesting relationship between these four variables in that if you know any two of them you can calculate the other two. This is called Ohm’s Law.

Ask Ian - TUTCO’s Wattage Calculator: How does it work?

by Ian Renwick

TUTCO’s online Wattage Calculator, which can be found on the TUTCO website, is a valuable tool in determining process heat solutions. It will provide a good approximation of the power required. The calculator app applies a chosen safety factor to calculate the necessary wattage needed.

Ask Ian - Manufacturing Artificial Plants and Trees

by Ian Renwick

Love them or hate them, artificial plants and trees have come a long way since their early years of production. The process of manufacturing garland, branches, and needles seemingly more and more realistic has grown into a very large manufacturing sector.

How Much Wattage do I Need?

by Ian Renwick

Zoned Versus Distributed Wattage - Definition and Application

by Dennis White

Conduction heaters that use a wound coil, such as cartridge and strip, often employ a distributed wattage or a zoned construction method to control watt density. This article highlights the differences between these two techniques.

Heat Transfer

by Adam Berlet

Heat Transfer Explained

Calculating Wattage Requirements

by Ian Renwick

Size a heating system for your process application.

Customize Your Cartridge Heater

by Ian Renwick

Customize for a Competitive Edge. This article highlights the more common cartridge heater accessories and customizations intended to accommodate adverse application conditions that may inhibit acceptable performance and expected operational life.

UL 1995 vs 1996 Simplified

by Jeff Elrod

UL1996 STANDARD Vs. UL1995 STANDARD