Silicone rubber heaters can contain either an etched foil element or a wire wound
element. Silicone rubber heaters can be bonded to a heat sink with pressure sensitive
adhesive (PSA), RTV or factory vulcanized to a heat sink. We recommend vulcanization
as it requires no adhesive and the bond has the temperature capability
of the silicone rubber itself. It is inexpensive and provides a highly reliable
way of mounting a flexible heater.
Etched foil element heaters:
Silicone rubber heaters with etched foil circuit elements begin as sheets of a metallic
foil and silicone rubber laminate. Several different material types can be
utilized again depending on the heater resistance. Because the etched circuit
element is flat foil, the element itself can cover up to 85% of the heater area.
1. Features:
* Better choice for high watt density heaters (those over 6 watts per sq. in.); can
also be used for watt densities less than 6W
* Excellent choice for heaters that require multi-zoned wattages or heaters that
have many holes and/or cutouts
* May provide an economic advantage for high volume applications
* Offers excellent circuit repeatability
* Relatively expensive for single short run orders due to initial one time artwork
and steel rule cutting die charges
* May not be suitable for some high resistance heaters
2. Specifications:
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Wire wound element heaters:
Wire wound silicone heaters begin with one to five strands of resistance wire that
are machine wound, in most cases, on a fiber glass core for strength. Combinations
chosen are based on the desired resistance and flexibility requirements of
the final heater. The element is then wound around dedicated tooling and transferred
to a layer of silicone rubber. Another layer of silicone rubber is then placed
over the element to complete this heater.
1. Features:
* Provides excellent repeatability for short run orders
* Better choice for flexing applications
* Adapts to contoured surfaces with relative ease
* Advantages in high resistance applications and heater sizes not lending themselves
to the etching process
* Prototypes can be delivered quickly at minimal cost
2. Specifications:
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3. Applications:
* Medical equipment such as blood analyzers, respiratory therapy units and hydrotherapy
baths
* Freeze protection for military hardware, aircraft instrumentation and hydraulic
equipment* Foodservice equipment
* Factory bonding and subassemblies
* Military/aerospace
* Laboratory research
* Analytical equipment
* Material Handling
* Commercial equipment
4. How to order:
Determine width, length, volts and watts. Specify PSAS if needed. For made-to-order
heaters, please provide the following:
* Quantity
* Size (dimensions)
* Voltage
* Wattage/watt density
* Operating temperature
* Options, such as holes, PSAS
* Will the heater be subject to flexing
BEEHE manufactures a variety of flexible heaters including silicone rubber heaters,
drum heaters, polyimide heaters PET heaters and flexible mica heaters. For more
information about flexible heaters, please contact our sales engineer.
