You might have heard the name flexible heaters or Kapton heaters. But their real purpose and function are still a mystery to many. Heating is a crucial process in both dynamic and stagnant environments. Many critical applications need uniform and controlled heating as a necessary process to operate. This is where Kapton heaters find their significant role.
Kapton heating heaters are one of the most popular heating appliances today. They’re efficient, reliable, and versatile, making them an excellent choice for various applications.
People associated with industries such as electronics, medicine, and aero science realize the natural functions of custom Kapton heaters. They come as film heaters to allow the operator to set critical temperature values. It helps them monitor and analyze the process. Meanwhile, temperature ranges are strictly controlled as desired. Temperature regulation is a very intricate process in
- Aerospace applications
- Composite curing
- Wearables
- Surface deicing
- Consumer appliances
- Battery warming
- Automotive interior heating
A lightweight, flexible heating element with high-temperature performance is perfect for these roles. This blog post will discuss everything you need about Kapton flexible heaters. We will also highlight their specifications and process to get maximum efficiency. So stick to our Kapton heaters guide!
What Are Flexible Kapton Heaters?
A flexible heater is a term used to cover many devices. Kapton heaters also fall under this umbrella and tend to relish unique features. Kapton heaters are devices that can conform to the edges and contours of a surface to be heated. These heaters are either chemically etched, wire wound, or screen printed. You can bend or flex it to conform to a surface and heat it. Custom flexible heaters come in a wide range of varieties, such as:
- Kapton film heaters/ Polymide film heaters
- Silicon rubber heaters
- Polyester heaters
- Acrylic-bonded Kapton
All of these flexible heater types are highly customizable. Get everything you want, whether in size, shape, or thickness. Even there is the freedom to add components to enhance performance and efficiency.
Owing to these features, custom heater elements deliver commercial, industrial, and military applications. But this post’s subject primarily concerns Kapton heaters made of polyimide films. They are produced to take an upper edge in every aspect of the flexible heaters. These innovative tools are designed to provide efficient, cost-effective, and reliable performance in any environment. They are produced to take an upper edge in every aspect of their use, giving customers the confidence to trust the product to meet their needs.
Kapton Heaters: What Is Their Working Efficiency?
Kapton heaters come with specialized heating technology. It helps provide customized heating solutions for complex applications requiring a high-temperature heater. These flexible heaters are also lightweight and can be developed according to a specific format. Each size and shape format is set to deliver a rapid heat transfer with excellent efficiency.
Next comes the setup process for hi heat heaters. Their heating element consists of polyimide, which is flexible, thin, and transparent. In Industries, the Kapton heater is highly preferred for its matchless characteristics. Some of these are;
- Efficient and fast heat transfer to target surfaces
- High power densities
- Rapid heat-up ability
- Precise thermal control
- Low outgassing
- Transparent material
- Excellent dimensional stability
- Unbeatable resistance to chemicals, radiation, and weather conditions
- The low thermal mass which means unshareable flexibility
- Fastest response delivery to temperature control
Let us put these characteristics to the best possible use. Kapton is ideal for heat industries requiring low profile and localized heating. It supports prolonged usage without getting damaged. Credit goes to the inherent resistive property of its film, which prevents it from getting damaged, cracked, or rubbed off.
It also provides uniform resistance while heating to sustain precise temperature control. Applications involving safety precautions and posing a risk to heat and fire go well with these custom heaters. Kapton consists of a non-flammable film that averts all consumer’s concerns.
Benefits of Polyimide Kapton Film
- Polyimide Kapton heaters come with exceptional tear resistance and tensile strength. This sturdy build helps them gain dimensional stability to operate well. This is why polyimide material has been used for over 30 years to make flexible PCBs.
- It consists of an etched foil element coupled with photo-imaging technology. Its circuit pattern repeats throughout the surface to lower production costs and uplift heat transfer. Placing silicone heat pads together provides a promising surface area to maintain a seamless heat flow.
- Polyamide film owns excellent electrical and physical properties. It helps achieve thermal stability over multiple temperature ranges.
- Compared to wire wound heaters, Kapton heaters provide twice the watt density.
- Polyamide is a highly flexible material that can bend or flex to conform to a specific surface.
How to Use Kapton Heaters for Maximum Efficiency
Kapton is a heat-resistant polymer. It is highly resistant to atmospheric moisture and chemical agents such as acids, alkalis, and solvents. It is also resistant to electrical and magnetic fields. Therefore, Kapton is an excellent material for the thermal insulation of electronic circuits and heat transfer devices.
Kapton can be a heat-resistance material for various electronic components and devices like integrated circuits (ICs), microchips, DRAM memory chips, etc. Kapton is the primary material that insulates these components from heat generated by the device’s operation. The Kapton helps isolate the element from the heat generated inside the machine. If we use Kapton ideally, it can provide maximum efficiency upon its usage.
Kapton can be used with proper knowledge and awareness of the different techniques involved in using it. When you cut or roll out Kapton with the appropriate method, you will get maximum efficiency at various temperatures. When properly handled, Kapton will not melt or deform under any condition. So, keep this information in mind when using them!
Keep this kind of information with you when you are buying Kapton sheets for your projects. They can be used for many purposes and will give you optimum results whenever you use them for their best possible purpose! So, don’t forget to use them wisely!
Kapton heaters find their best applications in a wide range of circumstances. These are listed as follows:
- Both high and low-volume production is required.
- Rapid heat transfer and precise temperature control are needed
- For applications requiring high power densities
- Areas where more intimate heating is required compared to silicone heater pad.
- In applications that need surface heating
- In analytical test equipment
- Medical diagnostic instruments
- Aircraft electronics
- Laboratory equipment for analysis and delivery
- Military equipment
- 3D printers
- LCDs
Low outgassing capabilities help Kapton heaters surpass its competitors. Any electronic equipment designed to work in high-vacuum conditions suffers badly from outgassing. Outgassing suggests the release of gas from a solid material. It often happens through evaporation or sublimation, which produces gas. Kapton is a low-outgassing device with the minimum gas release, thus maximizing the overall benefit.
Last but Not Least
How heaters have been manufactured and used in the past is completely revolutionized. Now, these devices have a more meaningful term, flexible heaters. As the name indicates, a flexible custom heater comes in several forms and materials. These enable it to best suit a requirement. These variations in sizes, thicknesses, and materials have made flexible silicone heaters the need of the hour.
One such heater, known as the Kapton heater, provides matchless advantages. No matter which industry, Kapton heaters are ready to rock. Their excellent stability, tensile strength, and resistance are unbeatable. In this guide, we have enlisted their applications and uses to highlight what makes them stand out.
