What are the advantages and disadvantages of silicone electric heating film, heating film, and heating film?

Manufacturers who require local heating for their applications will turn to the advantages of flexible heaters installed on components and equipment. These heaters can provide low or high levels of heat at different temperatures to provide appropriate heat transfer according to the application.
The heater material is configurable and customizable to suit a variety of applications. Manufacturers will need to choose a heating element that can provide appropriate heat, balanced heat distribution, and the ability to accommodate multiple power densities in a flexible heater. Two common heating elements include wire winding and etching foil.
Wire wound elements
The winding element is composed of resistance wires with a specified diameter. The metal wire can have a single strand or be composed of several strands, which are woven together and placed on a fiberglass core. Then vulcanize this wire onto a chloroprene rubber substrate or nylon reinforced silicone rubber, as the thickness range of the material can start from 0.032 inches. The resistance wires are wound into specific patterns, evenly separating them throughout the entire substrate layer.

Wire wound components have many benefits. These components can provide a higher level of physical strength, making them very suitable for heating applications, where there may be friction on flexible heaters. Flexibility is another major advantage of wire wound flexible heaters. They can easily handle small radius bends, as for applications that require larger heaters, the wires can be wound in long strips.
Wire wound components are the original components of flexible heaters and are a suitable choice for manufacturers seeking larger silicone heaters. Nowadays, manufacturers still use this type of component for various applications, including food heating equipment and heating pipelines.
Etched foil elements
Compared to the wire wound components that have been used for the past 40 years, etching foil is a relatively new technology. The main difference of etched foil is that it is not composed of metal wires. On the contrary, much like a circuit board, it is a thin alloy metal with electrical resistance characteristics that is etched into the substrate material by acid. Aluminum foil can be as thin as 0.005 inches and has a similar appearance to aluminum foil. The manufacturer of the flexible heater will make the metal foil into a rectangular flat shape and place it in a pattern with a width of at least 0.10 inches.

Etched foil components can provide special advantages for manufacturers seeking thinner and more flexible heaters in applications where size and weight are serious issues. They can be used for both short-term and long-term production, as these components can achieve higher power density and the ability for rapid heating.
Although the etched foil requires a wider width to provide the same wattage and resistance as the wound components, these components can be placed closer together without contact or short circuits. Therefore, the etched foil can be placed in a tighter space on the substrate. Finally, manufacturers can obtain more precise temperature control with complex heat distribution characteristics.
Alloy for heating elements
Some metal alloys have both thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity, making them suitable for use as heating elements. Alloy is composed of base metals and other trace metal elements, which are added in specific processes to alter the mechanical, structural, electrical, thermal, and conductive properties of base metals. The inherent properties of alloys may be improved, such as higher corrosion resistance or conductivity, or reduced impurities. The commonly used alloys in heating elements include stainless steel, nickel chromium, copper nickel, or Inconel 600.
304 stainless steel
Stainless steel 304 is a metal alloy composed of chromium and nickel, as it also combines with carbon. It can be formed using various techniques including hydraulic forming. The main advantages of stainless steel are excellent heat transfer ability, corrosion resistance, and ease of manufacturing. Its heat capacity is 20 ° C, and its maximum mechanical temperature is 420 ° C.
Nickel chromium
Nickel chromium contains a certain percentage of nickel and chromium. The addition of chromium increases resistance and corrosion resistance to high temperatures, making the alloy suitable for wire winding components due to its ductility and strength. The maximum working temperature of this alloy is 1100 ° C, with a heat capacity of approximately 20 ° C.
Copper nickel
Copper nickel has incredible corrosion resistance and resistance. This alloy is often sought after due to its excellent machinability. Although it is more suitable for heating elements at 400 ° C, its maximum mechanical temperature is 600 ° C. It also provides a heat capacity of 20 ° C.
Chromium nickel iron alloy 600
Inconel 600 alloy is most suitable for applications that require high corrosion and resistance, and it is also non-magnetic, which makes it very suitable for use with flexible heating elements that are easily affected by magnetism, in outdoor and humid environments. It contains a combination of nickel, chromium, and some iron. It also has high chemical resistance. The heat capacity of this alloy is 20 ° C and the mechanical temperature is 1100 ° C.
Use the correct heating elements suitable for your application
The best method to choose a suitable heating element for this application is to determine the required power density, required heat transfer and preheating, working environment, and size of the required heater. If the manufacturer requires a large and sturdy heater with a smaller bending radius, and the entire process requires multiple watt densities, the wire wound heater can handle this job. For applications that require rapid heating and good overall heat transfer capabilities with thin flexible heaters, etched foil components can be used.
At St. Berlin Electric, we design and manufacture flexible heaters for manufacturers in various industries. We can customize heaters using appropriate materials and heating elements required by the application.