Heating Requirements in This Industry
In packaging machines, heaters do two jobs: sealing film and foil, and making it shrink. On sealing jaws the temperature must be held within a narrow band — too low and the seal does not hold, too high and the film is pierced. Because the machines run dozens of cycles per minute, the heater is under constant load and the temperature must not drop between cycles.
Typical Heating Applications
- Heating sealing jaws on vertical and horizontal packaging machines
- Shrinking film with hot air in shrink tunnels
- Heating film before forming in thermoforming units
- Holding adhesive at working temperature in labelling and gluing units
Which Heater, and Why?
- Cartridge Heater — Inserted into bores machined in the sealing jaws; it delivers high power in a small space and heats the jaw surface quickly.
- Cast-in Aluminium Heater — The thermal inertia of the cast body reduces temperature fluctuation across the jaws at high cycle rates.
- Hot Air Gun Ceramic Heater — Provides fast air heating at high temperature in shrink tunnels and hot air blowers.
- Ceramic Infrared Heater — Provides non-contact, uniform heating over a wide area for thermoforming and film preheating.
- Mica Insulated Strip and Band Heaters — Offers slim, economical heating for glue tanks and cylindrical bodies.
- Quartz Tube Heater — Reaches full power in a short time with short-wave radiation, making it easier to restart quickly after line stoppages.
Our Products Used in This Industry
Key Considerations
To keep the temperature of the sealing jaws within a narrow band, the sensor should be placed at the point closest to the jaw surface and the heater should be driven through an SSR by a PID controller. For cartridge heaters, the bore tolerance directly determines heat transfer and service life. On continuously moving jaws, the cable outlet should be flexible and protected; in shrink tunnels, the heater should be energised only while air is flowing. Film type and line speed are the key inputs when calculating the power required.
- On sealing jaws, a cast body reduces the temperature drop between cycles thanks to its thermal inertia.
- In shrink tunnels, a ceramic heater is damaged within seconds if the air flow stops; a flow switch is mandatory.
- Where cable outlets move due to high cycle counts, a steel braid protection is recommended.
Custom Manufacturing and Quotation
For packaging machine builders and maintenance teams, we manufacture cartridge heaters sized to the jaw, machine-specific cast-in heaters and tunnel elements. Simply send us the diameter, length, power, voltage and cable length; for cast bodies, a technical drawing or a sample is sufficient. We carry out the wattage calculation and the material recommendation, and once the dimension list has been approved, sampling and series production are scheduled.
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Let us define the right solution for your project together
Contact us to determine the most suitable heater and industrial heating solution for your project. Our technical team is ready to offer the solution that best fits your requirements.