Band & Nozzle Heaters

Mica Band Heaters

Duraband mica insulated heaters are widely used on operations involving heating of cylindrical surfaces and are manufactured in a full range of standard construction variations, physical dimensions, electrical ratings, and a complete arrangement of screw terminals and lead terminations.

However, these standard Duraband heater variations and terminations do not represent the extent of our capabilities. Star Process and Controls  engineering staff, with many years of experience in heat processing and temperature control applications, can assist you in designing the right band heater for your specific application.

MI Band Heaters

The mineral insulated (MI) band heater from Watlow® is a high-performance heater that incorporates Watlow’s exclusive mineral insulation. This material offers much higher thermal conductivity than mica and hard ceramic insulators that are used in conventional heaters.

A thin layer of the “high” thermally conductive MI material electrically insulates the element wire from the inside diameter of the heater sheath. A thicker, low thermally conductivity layer backs up the element wire directing the heat inward toward the part being heated. 

The result is more efficient heat transfer, which lowers element wire temperatures and increases heater life. 

Performance Capabilities

• Heater operating temperatures up to 1400°F (760°C)
• Watt densities up to 100 W/in2 (15.5 W/cm2) available on large diameter barrel bands
• Maximum voltage to 480V

Ceramic Band Heaters

Ceramic Band Heaters Are Designed To Conserve Energy and Improve Operation Efficiency

Tempco ceramic insulated band heaters are specifically designed and  engineered to meet the ever increasing demand for energy conservation and to improve operation efficiency. The ceramic band heaters are capable of generating the higher temperatures essential to process today’s high temperature resins. Electrical energy savings are achieved by using a 1/4″ thick ceramic fiber insulating blanket, reducing power consumption by 25 to 30 percent.

Because of the low thermal conductivity of the ceramic fiber insulation, the external surface temperature of the ceramic band heater is approximately 400°F while running the inside surface temperature at 1200°F. Ceramic band heaters transmit heat through both conduction and radiation. The element winding is designed to run at maximum temperature and heat the ceramic blocks to the point at which they radiate energy into the barrel as well as conduct energy by being in contact with the barrel. Due to this effect, the fit is not as critical as in other types of bands. Tempco ceramic band heaters have become extremely popular among original equipment manufacturers as the standard heaters for the barrels of plastic injection molding machines, extruders, and blow molding equipment.

Coiled Nozzle Heaters

The Watlow pre-coiled, cable nozzle heater has been formed into a compact, tightly wound coil to supply 360 degrees of heat. This nozzle heater features a 5 in. (127 mm) long, no-heat tail section, which eliminates failures in the adapter area due to overheating.

This cable nozzle heater is manufactured with Watlow’s swaged compaction process. This process provides a greater compaction of the MgO insulation than the competitor’s rolling process. Compacting MgO insulation into a solid mass results in excellent heat conductivity and high dielectric strength.

Mightyband™ Coil Heaters by Tempco

Mightyband heaters lend themselves to a wide range of applications. The flexibility of mineral insulated cable allows the Mightyband heater to be coiled, formed, wrapped around pipes or used straight. It can also be cast-in to metal or welded onto machine component parts. Open wound coil heaters can be used as cartridge heaters in irregular size holes.

Tempco offers from stock a large selection of standard Mightyband coil heaters for plastic injection runnerless molding bushings and for internally heated injection machine nozzles. The inside diameter of a coiled heater is wound undersized for a screw-on fit. Therefore, holddown straps are not usually required.

MI Nozzle Heaters

The MI band heater from Watlow® is a high-performance heater. The nozzle heater’s performance and name are derived from Watlow’s exclusive mineral insulation—a material with much higher thermal conductivity than mica and hard ceramic insulators used in conventional heaters. A thin layer of the “high” thermally conductive MI material is used to electrically insulate the element wire from the inside diameter of the heater sheath. A thicker, “low” thermally conductive layer backs up the element wire directing the heat inward toward the part being heated. The result is more efficient heat transfer, which lowers element wire temperatures and increases band heater life.