ABOUT CARTRIDGE HEATER
There are several items to consider when choosing a drum heater. The first is the basic shape and size. The size of the cartridge heater is the standard size of the standard size. You can find options in our brochure. When selecting the diameter, there is no need to specify the fit of the heater, because we will design the fit according to your requirements. If we want to drill and ream a ½" hole, we will reduce the size of the heater so that it can be easily slipped into the hole at the correct size to produce the best results. In most cases, we set the goal as 0.004 inches smaller than your requested size. For the purpose of this example, we will choose a ½" heater, which should be built as .496" ±.002
The drum heater is required. This is usually related to the part you are heating. If the length of your mold or tool is 6 inches, the length of the insert part of the heater is usually 6 inches. We do have limitations on the length that can be provided, but with proper design, sizes from 1 inch to 96 inches can be achieved.
After making the two most basic choices, we will proceed with the electrical connection of the cartridge heater. For connecting wires, we have dozens of choices. We have high temperature resistance, moisture resistance, metal braid, armored cables, right angles and all combinations of these options. The most typical is the high temperature flexible lead. These are just two wires leading out of the heater directly from the end of the heater.
The choice of watts and volts will be your next feature to ensure that the cartridge heater can meet your needs. Our heater is a compact high density heater. This allows a maximum power of 150 watts per square inch of surface area. A more typical power is 50-75 watts per square inch. Your power will depend on the amount of material you want to heat and its ability to receive heat. To calculate your power density, use the following formula: power/diameter * PI * length. Using this function, we can use the inverse function to create an appropriate power. In our case, a length of ½” x 12” usually carries a power of (.500 * 3.14 * 12 * 50) = 942 watts. For standard requirements, it can be rounded to 950w or 1000w. Your voltage depends on the power available in the application. Therefore, in this case, we will create the following request: (½” x 12” long heater, 1000w 240v, 12” flexible lead)
This is a very basic example of a common cartridge heater selection process. Please understand that we have many other options available for connecting, controlling and connecting the power supply of these heaters.
