Applications / Case studies
Custom Cartridge Heaters Built for your Application
Industries and Applications We Have Served
- 3D Printers
- Die Casting
- Extrusion
- Food Manufacturing
- Food Packaging
- Form Fill & Seal
- Heat Staking
- Hot Melt Adhesives
- HVAC Compressors
- Mass Spectrometry
- Oil Heating
- Packaging
- Pellet Stove Igniter
- Platen Heating
- Rubber Molding
- Torpedo Heaters for Injection Molding
Case Studies
Operating Temperature: 350°C – 400°C
Problem:
- Using strip heaters which did not allow for uniformity of heat profile
- Corner temperature was significantly lower than sides and center
- If operating temperature was run to have corners at proper curing temperature, the material in the center would burn
- If operating temperature was run so center would not burn, the cycle time was increased to get a proper cure
- To meet demand, the customer would need to build more processing equipment and add on to their facility
Solution:
- The customer created perimeter heat using our Nextflex flexible tubular heaters
- The customer created a wattage profile using Nextflex in the center
- Two zones of control
Results:
- Reduction of cycle time by 18% (4 machines do the work of 5)
- Reduce operating temperature and 3 zones of control
- Reduction of scrap rate to almost zero
- Customer able to respond to high demand with less investment in capital equipment and square footage
Learn more about:
Form-Fill & Seal
Operating Temperature: 450° – 550°F
Problem:
- The customer had a large order for a modified machine that would need to make the top seal bar through a liquid saline solution
- The customer was experiencing some blistering and also bags that leaked, usually near the ends of the seal bar when sealing the larger of two bags.
Concerns:
- Was the distributed wattage adequate for this new application?
- How much cooling was taking place because of liquid splashing?
- Was the heater long enough?
- Where was the customer sensing temperature?
Solutions:
Solutions:
- Using a thermal imaging camera, we determined that the splashing had a negligible effect but there was significant temperature dropoff at the ends.
- We increased the length of the heater and the heated length
Results:
Results:
- Temperature drop was eliminated
- Eliminated the scrapping of the bags
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Electricity Through Steam Generation
Operating Temperature: 900°C
Problem:
Problem:
- Customer required a method to measure temperature variation within a 21 ft. pipe with a diameter of 1.5″
- The customer wanted to find the optimum temperature to generate power for less cost
Concerns:
Concerns:
- Extremely high operating temperature required an alternative to high-temperature fiberglass leads
- How and where were they going to monitor internal temperatures?
- Should the pipe be segmented?
Solution:
Solution:
- Nexthermal sought out a machining company in the U.S. to develop segment of fixture with 6 ft. grooves to fit our ¼” ⌀ cartridge heaters
- An assembly was provided with 10 cartridge heaters. Half the pipe was heated while the other half contained sensors to monitor temperature differential from one side of the pipe to the other.
Results:
Results:
- The assembly enabled the customer to conduct testing in their lab for temperature variation at different steam flow rates
Kosher Baking Oven
Continuous Use / Visibly Glowing
Problem:
Problem:
- To be certified as a kosher bakery, there must be a “flame” in the oven that never goes out
- If the flame does go out, it needs to be re-blessed by a rabbi to maintain the kosher classification
Concerns:
Concerns:
- Having a rabbi come in to bless and certify the bakery can take time and can cause delays and loss of production
- The heater installed must glow red but should not burn out in open air
Solution:
Solution:
- The engineers at Nexthermal recommended a smaller cartridge heater and came up with a better wattage without burning out prematurely
Results:
Results:
- The heater was able to maintain a consistent red glow while the oven was in and out of operation
Oil Heating 0W-30
Operating Temperature: <300°F
Problem:
Problem:
- The customer was using three 20mm cartridge heaters to heat one application
- Leads were an issue routing due to space constraints
- Cartridge heaters were leaking sand regularly
Concerns:
Concerns:
- The customer complained that their cartridge heaters were leaking sand in the oil
- The customer required the solution to be light-weight
Solution:
Solution:
- We collaborated with the customer on creating a 3D design using a 4mm coil heater, far lighter than the three large cartridge heaters
- Leads were routed inside the tank
Results:
Results:
- We were able to cut large portion of weight out of this application
- We were able to submerge the heater in oil and have it work successfully for the customer’s application
