Cartridge Heaters and Terminal Pins
Primarily used in a mold, cartridge heaters fit into a cavity and help heating solids by reaching high temperatures. Able to accommodate a thermocouple, they accurately control temperatures of the heater. With a variety of diameters, they display great versatility by fitting into any cavity and can be custom designed with any cold section.
Cartridge heaters consist of 7 different components, including:
- Heating Coil
- Insulation
- Sheath
- Sealing
- Termination
- Lead Wire Type
- Watt Density
These cylindrical-shaped, heavy-duty Joule heating elements are composed of a
Nichrome heating coil wound upon a ceramic core. When a two or three-phase voltage is applied, electricity flows through the wire and heats the wire and, subsequently, the cartridge sheath. (The watt density (in [Watts]/[inches]²) varies on the number of spirals or turns per inch.) The sheath comes in contact with the surface being heated and uses high quality stainless steel or incoloy with a high temperature rating. Insulation in the cartridge heater ensures that the heating wire never touches the sheath and thus protects the sheath from melting in case of any mishap. The leads that come out of the heater terminal have metal conduit, or silicon sleeves to protect from elevated temperatures. Lead wires are often constructed using fiberglass or silicone rubber.
Cartridge heaters contain two terminals pins used to complete an electrical circuit. Terminal pins are fusion welded to each end of the resistance coil. The heating element is then trimmed at each end to expose the terminal pin. These terminal pins are used worldwide for numerous applications
Oakley Industrial Machinery Inc. has been a worldwide leader and leading expert in the heating element & cartridge heating industry with over 75+ years of knowledge and experience in the field. We continue to be at the forefront of innovation, designing and manufacturing of heating element & cartridge heater production machinery.
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