Custom Tubular Heaters For Plastics ExtrusionA customer was using ring type tubular heater assemblies to heat extrusion blown film exiting the extrusion die in order to prevent cool down of the plastic at the die exit. The electric heating elements were slowly failing so the customer needed to repair and replace several units on their film lines. They reached out to Durex to determine if we could design and manufacturer these heater assemblies and if there were improvements we could make in order to extend heater lifetime.Durex reverse engineered the existing electric tubular heater assembly and saw several opportunities for improvement. Modifications made include higher grade sheath material and optimized internal heater coil design to boost life time. We also improved element spacing and support to minimize self-heating of elements. We also strengthened the mechanical assembly and control / power enclosure to further enhance reliability. The customer installed several electric tubular heater assemblies which have operated for several years with no failures and improved production line up time.
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