Distributed wattage is characterized by the pitch of a winding coil not being consistent across its full length. There are differences in the tightness of the packing or winding with turns across the segment in order to create a more concentrated heat profile in certain areas compared to others. The non-uniform feature of the pitched coil includes both closely wound and non-closely wound sections of coils. At Nexthermal, we design and manufacture exceptional quality cartridge heaters from various custom heating requirements. These heaters leverage distributed wattage which leads to increased throughput.
Adjusting the Watt Density to Maximize Heating Efficiency
The non-uniform winding and stretching of the coil pitch allows for an increase or reduction in the heater watt density over certain segments. With the coil winding more tightly spaced than in other segments, the watt density is also increased in those segments. The segments with greater watt density will have higher temperatures than other segments. This allows certain heater segments to operate hotter than other segments. The entire heater turns as a single unit, with the configuration only using a single set of power leads.
In general, most cartridge heating elements experience heat loss at the ends. Nexthermal uses distributed wattage to counter the loss of heat by using tighter windings on the ends to give a more even heat profile throughout the entire length of the heater. Besides the even heat profile, you also gain an increase in energy savings as there will be no wasted heat along with a much cleaner seal if used in a packaging application.
Application of Distributed Wattage in Cartridge Heaters
The end user can achieve higher heat when needed with a distributed wattage heater. A heater that uses distributed wattage is particularly advantageous when just a small segment of the heater is producing most of the heating or in applications that require heat over an extended length and a greater heat (or temperature) loss or drop-off is present near the ends of the heater. Applications that often make use of distributed wattage heaters include platens and sealing bars in which compensation for heat loss close to the ends of the heater is so important.
Look no further than our team and capabilities at Nexthermal for the cartridge heater designs you need to achieve customized heating solutions for your applications. We can help you obtain the ideal heater to meet the specific needs of your application with optimum efficiency.
To learn about the cartridge heater solutions, we offer at Nexthermal, call our team today at 269.964.0271 or reach us by email at sales@nexthermal.com.
