A-106

Components

Flexible Heater ProductsOverview

• Flexible Heaters, InsulationBlankets, Insulation Covers.

• Two Different Element Types:Wire Wound or Etched Foil

• Silicone Rubber Standard andStock Products

• Drum Heaters

• Enclosure and General PurposeAir Heaters

• Flexible and Molded ThermalInsulation Products

• Up to 600 Volt

• Extensive Stock Program

Description

Flexible Heaters and Thermal InsulationProducts are flexible in design and applicationto fit your specific needs. Chromalox providesdedicated engineering support to customizeour Flexible heaters per your requirements.Most size, shape or contour can be used toapply direct and efficient heat withoutsacrificing dependability.

Various insulating materials are available tosuit your application environment. Tempera-ture controlling devices can be molded directlyto the elements to provide precise systemoperation. Power requirements can beminimized and heat-up time optimized byapplying heat directly to the part. Cool-downtime is shortened and distributed wattages ormultiple heater circuit designs are possiblewith Chromalox flexible heating elements.

Features

• Flexible Heaters can be made to meetelectrical and contour specifications.

• Holes and Slots can be incorporated forpositioning on complex surfaces,

• Fast heat-up and cooling with accuratetemperature control is possible.

• Wide choice of electrical terminationsincluding solderless connectors, terminals,stranded wire leads, cords and plugs.

• Thin profile depending on choice ofconstruction and insulation barrier.

• Distributed wattage multiple circuits anddesigns are available.

• Complete system development availablewhich includes heater, sensor and tempera-ture controller.

Applications

Flexible/Molded Products are suited forapplication environments in a wide-range ofindustries:

• Medical

• Semiconductor

• Power Systems/Motors

• Communications

• Food Service

• Laminating/Forming

• Chromatography

• Printing/Copying

• Vending

• Transportation & Aerospace

• Manufacturing

• Military

• Tank/Vessel Heating

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A-107

Components

Construction

Type SL Silicone Rubber heating elements arewire or etched foil heating circuits positionedbetween plies of Silicone Rubber insulatingmaterial which provides flexibility andstrength. They are capable of flexing and willconform to contoured surfaces. They can alsobe pre-formed to complex shapes and can besupplied with distributed wattages andmultiple heating circuits.

Type IBG insulation blankets and insulationcovers provide prefabricated removableinsulation for your systems. Blankets aremade of 1" thick Fiberglas® insulation encasedbetween cured silicone rubber Fiberglas®

cloth. Insulation covers are made by attachingeither silicone or neoprene foam rubber to amade-to-specification aluminum shell. Foaminsulation is available in thicknesses of 1/8" to1" thick.

Mounting Methods

Chromalox provides the best and mosteconomical mounting method for yourapplication. Working with your ChromaloxRepresentative to specially design yourFlexible Heater product will ensure long life,ease of use, and the lowest cost possible foryour heated solution.

Flexible HeatersTechnical &Application Data

Mounting bars provide the greatest strengthand longevity because they are thin strips ofaluminum vulcanized between layers of rubberinsulation.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) —Silicone, Silicone/Acrylic, or Acrylic PressureSensitive Adhesive tape can be factory bondedto your heating element to provide a strongbond to any clean, smooth surface. Chromaloxuses a specially manufactured silicone basedPSA that allows for our silicone rubber heatersto be even mounted on curved surfaces.Simply peel away the protective backing androll the heaters into place.

Field Applied RTV Adhesives — Roomtemperature vulcanizing (RTV) adhesives canbe used to mount heaters up to 5 W/In2. Yourlocal Dow Corning or GE RTV representativecan recommend different adhesives based onyour application.

Factory Vulcanized — Chromalox can factoryvulcanize your Silicone Rubber heatingelement directly onto your part. This providesthe greatest bond strength and best heattransfer capability of all mounting methods.Chromalox can either vulcanize to your part ormanufacture the part in-house; providing youwith unsurpassed value-added work. In somecases, special tooling may be required.

Eyelets, Mounting Bars and Hooks can beattached or bonded into the heaters to allowfor easy lacing of the heaters to the work.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA)

Field Applied RTV Adhesives

Factory Vulcanized

Eyelets, Mounting Bars & Hooks

Pre-formed Clasps

Straps

Silicone or Nylon Straps can be used withD-Rings to provide a simple method ofmounting; just slip the straps through andcinch tight. The straps are vulcanized directlyto the heaters to provide durability andstrength for repeated attachments.

Velcro® can be used for lightweight and lowtemperature heater applications and oninsulation blankets. The Velcro® is generallysewn onto silicone rubber straps to providegreater strength and durability.

Springs or Spring Clasps can be used forquick on/off attachment of the heaters.Mounting bars or plates are vulcanized into theheaters for greater strength and serviceability.Note — The exact circumference of the part tobe heated is required when using springs orspring clasps.

Preforming — Flexible heaters can be pre-formed to exactly fit your part. Note — Specialtooling may be required to preform the heatersto meet your specifications.

Insulation Covers can be strapped into placeor fitted with springs or spring clasps.

FLEX

IBLE

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A-108

Components

Flexible HeatersTechnical &Application Data (cont’d.)Temperature Controls

Chromalox provides a wide range of thermo-stats, thermocouples, RTDs, thermal fusesand thermistors for controlling your heatedsystem. All can be mounted to the heater or befree standing; sensing either heater surface,air, or system surface temperature. Sensorscan be used in conjunction with one another toprovide controlling temperature andovertemperature protection.

Preset Thermostats — Bi-metal thermostatscan be molded into the heating elements forpart surface, heater surface or air temperaturesensing. The thermostats will be mounted in-line with the elements or have their owntermination based on the amperage require-ments of the heaters.

Thermostats are available in 10˚F Incrementsup to 300˚F 125V/15A, 250V/10A

Chromalox maintains a stock of varioustemperature settings. Check on availabilityprior to ordering. Non-stock settings mayrequire additional lead-time.

Termination Styles

Chromalox offers many types of leads andterminal connections for your Flexible Heaters.Internal connections to the elements can bemade at any point on the surface of the heateror project from any edge. Internal or mountedstrain reliefs are used in all constructions toensure durability of your flexible product.

Silicone, Teflon® or Neoprene InsulatedStranded Leads can be encapsulated in theheaters for direct power connection. Siliconerubber insulated leads for temperatures to390˚F are used as standard for silicone rubberheaters. Lead wires can come with a choice ofterminals attached.

Thermocouples, RTDs, Thermal Fuses orThermistors can also be molded into theheating elements to sense either heatertemperature or surface temperature of yourpart. Thermal Fuses can be mounted for easyreplacement once blown.

Adjustable Thermostats are available in theranges of 70-140°F, 70-190°F or 70-425˚F.They are mounted to the heaters and coveredwith a durable rubber box. Adjustments can bemade with either a factory provided knob orwith a screw driver. Other temperature rangesavailable on request. Thermostats are rated for1600W maximum.

Silicone, Fiberglas® Sleeving or ArmorBraiding can be molded over the lead-wires toprovide greater abrasion resistance.

Power Cords can be vulcanized into theheaters either with or without plugs. Internaland external strain reliefs are used to ensurecord attachment strength and durability of theelement. Ground wires, if used, can bemounted to internal grounding screens,mounting plates or foil backing. All “flying”ground wires are a minimum of 6" in lengthand may have a ring terminal attached for easyfield grounding to your part.

Silicone Sleeving

Thermocouples, RTDs, ThermalFuses or Thermistors

Armor Braid Sleeving

Power Cords

Adjustable Thermostats

Preset Thermostats

Lead Wires

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A-109

Components

392°F Most Industrial SL — Silicone Rubber Insulated SL-N Standard Strip Heaters A-111Indoor / Outdoor SL-B Enclosure Heaters A-112

HeaterElement

RubberInsulation

Foil

Flexible HeatersSelection Guidelines

Capabilities

Chromalox is capable of designing andmanufacturing complete heated systems tomeet your application. Chromalox has areputation for going beyond the basic heaterconstruction to give you value-added technicalservice.

Grounding to meet evolving NEC, Militarystandards or your application requirementscan be easily managed with ChromaloxFlexible Heaters. Internal grounding screens,surface-piercing mounting plates, or foilbacking can be incorporated in the heaterconstruction to ensure system grounding.

Flexible & Molded Heaters — Selection Guidelines

Foil Backing

Max. Operating Temperature Application Environment Product Type Model Stock Products Page

Insulation of the heater element can beachieved by factory bonding silicone or foamrubber to the element or by encasingFiberglas® insulation as the outer layer of theheating element. Encasing Fiberglas® is notrecommended for outdoor application since“breathing holes” are used that may allow formoisture absorption.

Foil Backing is also used to improve heattransfer. More heat is drawn and radiated bybinding foil to an outer layer of rubber.

Heater

Fiberglas® Insulation

Top Layer of Rubber Insulation

Encased Insulation

Flexible & Molded Thermal Insulation — Selection Guidelines

450°F Most Industrial IBG — Silicone Rubber Insulation Blankets IBG Blanket Drum Heaters A-115Indoor / Outdoor — Silicone Foam Insulation Coats Series

Max. Exposure Temperature Application Environment Product Type Model Stock Products Page

392°F Most Industrial Fiberglas® woven PHD Heavy Duty A-114Indoor / Outdoor Silicone Rubber encased Drum Heaters

FLEX

IBLE

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