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Silicone Rubber for High Temperature and Low Cost
Re-enforced Silicone Rubber is one of the common materials used in the fabrication of flexible heaters. Its properties provide high temperature resistance while offering the lowest cost.
Thermal Insulation
Silicone rubber provides high durability and high temperature resistivity (up to 455F / 235C continuous, higher short duration exposures) with the lowest cost construction. The overall thickness of a silicone rubber heater is typically .030” without a backing adhesive, limiting its bend radius, which introduces a limited bend radius in the order of 1.5”, introducing the potential for the heater to not uniformly, securely, and permanently bond to the curlved surface.
Silicone rubber heaters also inherently introduce thermal insulation from the heating element outwards. This results in the need to compensate accordingly, increasing the wattage output of the heater itself in order to attain the overall thermal goal. This insulation also impacts the immediacy of thermal changes – customers desiring fast thermal adjustments will see slight delays.
Additional Information
All Flex offers UL Certified constructions in both Silicone Rubber and Polyimide (U.L. certification maximum temperature is 221F / 105C).
Unlike many competitors, All Flex offers silicone rubber heaters with silicone-compatible pressure sensitive adhesive for attaching the heater onto its mounting surface. This option permits customers to bond the heater instead of forcing the heater manufacturer to pre-mount the heater using vulcanizing lamination processes.
Heat Transfer
Adhesion of the heater to its mounting surface is a critical factor in the performance of the heater to ensure that thermal energy transfers out of the heating element. Customers are to ensure a uniform and proper interface between the heater and the mount location.
