Introduction to Flexible Heaters

A flexible heater is made out of a stranded wire (mostly Ni-Chrome) or an etched foil sandwiched between layers of thermal conductors. The most common conductors are Kapton, Silicone rubber, Mylar and Mica. The choice of construction (wire wound or etched foil) and thermal conductor is determined by max temperature, Watts per square inch, overall weight (aircraft industry) and application.

Kapton� is thin film heater manufactured in edged-foil construction (similar to circuit board manufacturing); Silicone rubber heaters are manufactured in edged-foil or wire-wound construction; the decisive consideration is the max watts per square inch needed. Mica band heaters are mostly wire-wound and very commonly used in a cylindrical shape to use around tubes and such.
All flexible heaters can be manufactured with many different lead configurations and nearly an unlimited choice of temperature sensors can be built into them.