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Contact UsPurpose-Engineered Flexible Heating Solutions for OEMs and Industrial Systems
Trusted Smart Heat Management® for demanding industrial applications.
Engineered with passion. Delivered with decades of experience.
Nexthermal designs and manufactures custom flexible heater solutions engineered to solve complex thermal challenges in demanding industrial and commercial environments. Built for precision, reliability, and long service life, our flexible heaters deliver exceptional thermal performance across applications ranging from life sciences and medical equipment to industrial machinery, electronics, electric motors, and process systems.
Unlike off-the-shelf heaters, every Nexthermal flexible heater is purpose-engineered to match the exact thermal, mechanical, and environmental requirements of the application. We partner directly with OEM engineers, integrators, and end users to develop optimized heating solutions that improve temperature uniformity, responsiveness, efficiency, and system reliability.
Because of their exceptionally low mass and highly adaptable construction, flexible heaters provide thermal performance advantages that conventional heating technologies often cannot achieve. Their ability to conform to flat, cylindrical, polygonal, conical, and irregular surfaces makes them ideal for applications where cartridge heaters, band heaters, or rigid heating assemblies are impractical.
Smart Heat Management® Starts with Understanding the Problem
From compact instrumentation to large industrial equipment, Nexthermal flexible heaters are engineered to deliver fast response times, efficient heat transfer, and dependable operation under real-world conditions.
We do more than manufacture heaters — we help engineers solve thermal problems.
Two heater constructions and two resistance circuit technologies, matched to the geometry, watt density and volume your application calls for.
Construction 01
Silicone rubber heaters feature a resistance circuit laminated between durable, flexible silicone rubber layers to create a rugged, moisture-resistant, low-mass heating solution suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. Their flexibility, durability, and broad operating temperature capability make them ideal for tanks, enclosures, hoppers, cylinders, drums, and process equipment.
Construction 02
Polyimide heaters, commonly known as Kapton® heaters, utilize ultra-thin polyimide film construction — typically around 0.008” (0.20 mm) thick — to create exceptionally lightweight heaters with very fast thermal response characteristics. These heaters are ideal for precision thermal control applications requiring rapid temperature modulation, tight thermal uniformity, and minimal mass. Polyimide heaters are manufactured using etched foil resistance circuits, allowing for highly customized watt density distribution and complex temperature profiling across the heater surface.
Circuit 01
Wire wound flexible heaters use a helically coiled resistance wire arranged in a serpentine pattern to match the geometry of the heater. This construction method is commonly used in silicone rubber heaters and is well suited for larger surface areas, custom geometries, and lower production volume applications.
Circuit 02
Etched foil heaters utilize a chemically etched resistive foil pattern bonded within the heater construction. This technology enables precise watt density control, improved temperature uniformity, and complex multi-zone heating profiles. Etched foil construction is commonly used in both silicone rubber and polyimide heaters and is often the preferred solution for higher-volume OEM applications.
Nexthermal Flexible Heaters support a wide range of markets and applications. The following is a small sample of markets and applications we serve.
Common
Applications
Each Nexthermal flexible heater is engineered by our applications team using clearly defined thermal, mechanical, and environmental design inputs, including:
Heater geometry, surface area, and mounting method
Custom heater shapes, cutouts, hole patterns, thickness, and attachment methods engineered to conform precisely to the application surface for optimal heat transfer and installation.
Wattage and watt density profile
Uniform, zoned, or variable watt density circuit designs matched to heat-up time, temperature uniformity, thermal losses, and process requirements.
Heater technology selection — Silicone Rubber or Polyimide
Material and construction selected based on operating temperature, flexibility requirements, environmental exposure, thermal response, and installation constraints.
Resistance circuit design — Wire Wound or Etched Foil
Circuit technology selected to optimize thermal performance, response time, temperature profiling capability, durability, and production volume requirements.
Voltage and electrical configuration
Designed for seamless integration with the customer’s power distribution, control systems, and global electrical requirements.
Thermal sensor integration and placement
Integrated J-Type or K-Type thermocouples, RTDs, thermostats, or thermal fuses positioned for accurate process temperature monitoring and closed-loop control.
Lead wire and electrical termination configuration
Lead exit orientation, wire insulation materials, connectors, strain relief, and routing engineered to accommodate space constraints, flexing, environmental exposure, and serviceability.
Operating temperature and environmental conditions
Design considerations include maximum exposure temperature, moisture, chemicals, oils, UV exposure, vibration, outdoor installation, vacuum environments, and washdown conditions.
Surface material and heat transfer characteristics
Heater construction optimized based on the thermal conductivity, mass, geometry, and mounting surface characteristics of the application.
Attachment and installation method
PSA bonding, vulcanization, mechanical fastening, spring mounting, hook-and-loop, or field-removable attachment systems selected for reliability and ease of maintenance.
Thermal cycling and duty cycle requirements
Engineered to withstand continuous operation, rapid thermal cycling, intermittent duty, and varying load conditions while maximizing service life.
Every Nexthermal flexible heater is reviewed by experienced applications engineers to ensure optimal thermal performance, reliability, manufacturability, and long operational life in demanding real-world environments.
Technical Specifications, Construction & Configuration Options
Nexthermal flexible heaters are fully custom engineered to meet the thermal, mechanical, and environmental requirements of each application. The following design considerations help determine the optimal heater construction and configuration.
Step 01 of 05
The first step is selecting the heater construction best suited for the operating environment, temperature range, flexibility requirements, and thermal performance objectives.
Silicone rubber heaters provide a durable, moisture-resistant, and highly flexible heating solution suitable for a wide variety of industrial and commercial applications. Their rugged construction makes them ideal for larger surface areas, outdoor environments, freeze protection, condensation prevention, and general process heating applications.
Polyimide heaters feature ultra-thin, lightweight construction for applications requiring rapid thermal response, precision temperature control, and minimal mass. These heaters are commonly used in medical devices, electronics, semiconductor equipment, aerospace systems, and analytical instrumentation.
Please refer to the specifications table for detailed material capabilities and operating characteristics.
Step 02 of 05
Flexible heater performance is heavily influenced by the type of resistance circuit used within the heater assembly.
Available exclusively in silicone rubber heaters, wire wound construction utilizes a helically wound resistance wire arranged in a precise serpentine pattern that conforms to the geometry of the heater. This design is well suited for:
Wire wound heaters provide reliable performance and cost-effective customization across a broad range of applications.
Etched foil heaters utilize an ultra-thin metallic resistance foil chemically etched into highly precise heating patterns. This construction can be used in both silicone rubber and polyimide heaters and offers several performance advantages, including:
Etched foil technology is ideal for precision thermal control applications, complex geometries, and higher production volume OEM programs.
Step 03 of 05
Both silicone rubber and polyimide heaters support a wide variety of lead wire, connector, and termination configurations designed to accommodate application-specific electrical, mechanical, and environmental requirements.
Customization options include:
Please refer to the Termination Options section for additional details.
Step 04 of 05
Flexible heaters can be supplied with several mounting and attachment methods depending on the application environment, installation process, and serviceability requirements.
Factory-applied PSA backing provides a simple and effective field installation method for bonding the heater directly to the target surface while maintaining excellent thermal contact.
Room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone adhesives such as RTV106 and RTV116 can be applied during installation by OEMs or end users to create a durable, high-temperature bond.
For maximum durability and thermal performance, flexible heaters can be factory vulcanized directly to metal surfaces including aluminum, stainless steel, and anodized materials. This method creates an integrated heating assembly optimized for demanding industrial applications.
Step 05 of 05
Nexthermal flexible heaters can incorporate a variety of sensing and control devices to improve thermal accuracy, system protection, and process reliability.
Integrated Type J or Type K thermocouples provide accurate heater surface temperature monitoring and closed-loop process control.
Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) and thermistors can be integrated for highly accurate temperature measurement and precision control applications.
Snap-action thermostats provide a simple standalone temperature limiting solution by automatically opening the electrical circuit once a predetermined temperature is reached.
Adjustable thermostats allow users to manually set and maintain a desired operating temperature range.
Manual reset high-limit thermostats provide an added layer of safety protection by interrupting power if a maximum allowable temperature is exceeded.
Thermal fuses provide fail-safe overtemperature protection by permanently opening the heater circuit if a critical temperature threshold is exceeded, helping protect equipment and improve operational safety.
