With the advent of technology, the need for electronics has increased to a great extent. In the present era, the demand for high-quality machines is the utmost goal of clients that is eco-friendly and highly operational. If you are unaware of the product, you are at the right! So, in this write-up, you will come to know about the techniques to control flexible heater temperature.

What Is a Flexible Heater?

A flexible heater is a device that constitutes silicon rubber and polyimide materials. It works with the process of heating by directly attaching to the application. The heater's flexibility helps wrap around the surfaces. It aims to provide heat to the specific part of the equipment without interrupting the functions. They are lightweight and do not deteriorate the moving parts of the application. They are rugged and help resist moisture and chemicals.

The heating elements are etched foil and wire round, having a thickness of around 0.007" to 0.056". The best possible temperature is from 220⁰F to 500⁰F. A flexible heater finds its best use in wrapping around tanks, tubes, drums, and odd shapes. The controller mechanism aims to investigate the flexible heater's temperature (low to excessive heating) to avoid accidental blows of the device or heating materials. The controller maintains the device temperature constant. A flexible heater produces efficient heating or cooling and high watt densities.

Applications

●Airlines

●Automotive

●Battery heaters

●Food Equipment

●Medical equipment

●Refrigeration

●Vending machines

●Incubators

●Copy machines

Controlling Techniques

The best ways to control a flexible heater's temperature are:

The sleeve/Sheath is a Priority

A sleeve is something that envelops the heating element. A sleeve provides perfect insulation and serves as a protective barrier to various burning of the heater. Insulation of the element resists heater failure by short-circuiting the excessive load. A physical barrier is good for extending the fatigue life of the machine. It permits the device to handle extreme environments smoothly. Other ways are:

Thermostats sensor

A thermostat is a device that is fruitful in sensing the changing temperature of the equipment. It senses in two ways:

●Ambient temperature sensing

It occurs when the thermostat senses the environment's temperature. The sensor has a specific set point; in extreme cases, the thermostat lowers or ultimately switches off the temperature flowing from the heater.

●Line temperature sensing

It administers the line that goes with the heating system. If any change in temperature from the set point occurs, the thermostat quickly activates to adjust it. A thermostat integrates a bimetallic strip that attaches to the circuit and places the heater in "on" mode. When the strip becomes hot, it bends to avoid excessive heat flow and results in the power "off" of the heater. When the temperature cools down, the bimetallic strip comes into its original position, thus saving the equipment.

Thermistors sensors

A thermistor sensor is a form of sensor that measures temperature fluctuations. It comes into NTC (negative temperature controller) and PTC (positive temperature controller). To control the temperature in flexible heaters, you should opt NTC thermistor. NTC functions to decrease the thermistors' resistance as the temperature of the heater increases. Thermistors work best in heaters functioning in harsh environments. The good thing is they are durable and reliable and offer greater stability to the heating elements of flexible heaters.

Proportional Integral Derivative Controller

It is a controller featured with advanced algorithms. It prevents temperature dropping and electric current instability linked to heat-up/cool-down switching. To control heating temperature, use explosion-proof, hazardous location heaters to lower the risk of sparking or flames and protect the materials within.