Heatmax Heaters’ Enhanced Metal Plating Heater Range

Heatmax Heaters introduces the latest advancements in the metal plating heater range. 

Heatmax has been manufacturing electric immersion heaters for the metal finishing industry for over 70 years. Drawing on this experience, as well as Platers’ feedback, Heatmax has upgraded its range with new features to meet the metal plating industry's needs, including:

1. A new line of replaceable thermal protectors will allow Heatmax heaters to be compatible with other manufacturers’ controls.
2. Vapor-proof, flame-retardant polypropylene terminal enclosures for improved durability in environments with corrosive vapors. 
3. UL/CSA Listed certification is a third-party marker of quality and safety that is essential for the modern metal finishing, electrocoat, or OEM industries. 
4. Design improvements allow Heatmax Heaters to expedite their already fast manufacturing process, allowing lead times as low as (3) weeks for Metal Over-The-Side Heaters and (2) weeks for PTFE (Fluoropolymer) heaters.

These product enhancements offer significant advantages to the Metal Plating Industry. Not only do they enhance the durability of the products, but they also increase the range of substitute heaters available to platers. This gives platers more options when comparing vendors' prices and lead times. Additionally, should they opt for a Heatmax Heater, they can do so with confidence, knowing that it will integrate seamlessly with their existing control setups.

Product Overview

Heatmax Heaters’ range of Metal Plating Heaters includes Fluoropolymer (PTFE), Titanium, Incoloy, and Stainless Steel alloys. They are offered in combinations of 3, 6, or 12-element configurations, in “over-the-side,” “bottom,” or “L-shaped” designs. 

They are available in standard watt densities of 35 watts per square inch and de-rated watt densities of 18 watts per square inch. Heatmax Heaters’ Ohio manufacturing facility's vertical integration means Heatmax can customize watt densities, wattages, and voltages without any impact on manufacturing lead times. 

Designed to be installed into open-topped tanks, Heatmax’ metal plating heaters all come with a cold and a hot section. The heated section is designed for immersion heating only. It has a watt density appropriate for heating liquids but not for heating air. The cold section, the part of the heater element seen above the heated section, is not heated and can be exposed to air without issue. All Heatmax metal plating heaters come with a liquid level bar, which indicates the level a tank should not fall below for operators to easily visually confirm.

Heatmax heaters’ cold lengths can be extended for tanks with fluctuating or low liquid levels, or bottom styles can help keep the heated section immersed at all times. The most effective safeguard against fluctuating liquid levels is a liquid level control that automatically shuts off the heater when it detects that the liquid level has fallen below a specified minimum.

All metal plating heaters come with thermal protectors as a standard feature. This is a sensor strapped to the heating element’s hot section. Its purpose is to turn the heater off when it detects an over-temperature event. The thermal protector needs to be connected to a combination control with a contactor or relay and transformer, which would cut power to the heater when the sensor opens the circuit. These are readily available from Heatmax and other heater/control manufacturers.

New Features of the Metal Plating Heater Range:

1. Expanded Thermal Protector Range: The addition of replaceable thermal protectors to Heatmax’ existing range of resettable thermal protectors makes our heaters compatible with widely used existing control setups in the metal plating industry. 
2. Advanced Terminal Enclosure for Greater Durability: Each metal plating heater has a newly designed polypropylene, vapor-proof, flame-retardant terminal enclosure, ensuring high performance in the harshest metal finishing environments.
3. UL/CSA Listed for Added Assurance: UL has tested our metal plating heater range and has been awarded the UL/CSA Listed Certification. UL/CSA is the standard for safety and quality in electrical equipment. 

Expanded Thermal Protector Range 

Heatmax Heaters feature a comprehensive range of thermal protectors compatible with controls and are widely used in the metal plating industry. 

Replaceable Fuses: these fuses are available for temperatures up to 300°F, with options including T1 for solutions up to 180°F, T4 for up to 230°F, and T5 for up to 300°F. They are “single blow,” meaning that they need to be replaced after an over-temperature event before operating the heater again.  

Resettable Fuses include T2 for solutions with temperatures of up to 180°F, T6 for up to 230°F, and T7 for up to 300°F. The resettable fuses are designed to save end users the inconvenience of replacing fuses. Instead, they operate with a control that has a manual reset button that must be pressed after an over-temperature event to resume operations. This adds an extra layer of safety by ensuring the tank is checked for adequate liquid levels before heating resumes.

Thermocouples: available in Type-J and Type-K, thermocouples can be used in combination with a control that sets a high-limit temperature cutoff.

Case Study:  

Heatmax Heaters are manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio.For metal platers serving the automotive industry, meeting production deadlines is imperative. Failure to do so can result in significant penalties and lost contracts. For an Ohio-based metal plating company, receiving news that a critical heater could only be replaced after an unexpected eight-week lead time, the delay threatened to jeopardize their ability to meet their client’s deadlines.

In their search for a more timely solution, they turned to Heatmax, known for having one of the shortest lead times in the industry. Their Heatmax representative could cross the part number of their previous immersion heater and quote a Heatmax replacement that would connect seamlessly to their existing control setup. Within three weeks, they were up and running again and back on track to meet their production deadlines. 

This case highlights the importance of competition in a market to ensure that metal platers have other options when faced with an unexpected delay from another heater manufacturer. 

Advanced Terminal Enclosure for Greater Durability 

Made of vapor-proof and flame-retardant polypropylene, Heatmax’ new terminal enclosures ensure long-lasting durability and reliability in even the harshest metal finishing environments. 

Case Study:  Some metal finishing applications require the application of aggressive acids such as Acetic Acid to prepare a metal part for plating. Acetic Acid, when heated, releases particularly corrosive vapors. With our previous enclosure design, we had a case where Acetic Acid corroded through the gasket under the heater terminal enclosure’s lid, exposing the heater’s internal wiring. Our new design is vapor-proof, which means the wiring is protected from corrosion and insuring against premature failures. 

UL/CSA Listed for Added Assurance

All new and improved metal plating heaters from Heatmax are listed as UL/CSA. This certification affirms that Heatmax’s heaters have met rigorous safety and quality standards set by third-party testing. It is part of Heatmax’s commitment to providing products that are not only high quality but also prioritize user safety.

Benefits: For many metal plating environments, UL or CSA certification is a requirement for electrical equipment. This is particularly relevant for OEM systems builders (such as plating line manufacturers) who UL/CSA certify their systems. Achieving this certification is more straightforward when using UL/CSA-certified components, such as Heatmax Heaters.

History of Heatmax Heaters 

Heatmax Heaters has been manufacturing heaters for the Metal Plating Industry for over 70 years. In his garage in Cleveland, Glo-Quartz Electric Heater Company was founded in 1952 by George Strokes. 

Alongside other companies such as Lufran and Clepco, Glo-Quartz pioneered the early development of PTFE Fluoropolymer heaters and other Metal OTS heaters for metal finishing applications.

To better reflect its broad product range in both metal plating and process heat industries, Glo-Quartz started doing business as “Heatmax Heaters” (DBA) in 2019. 

Heatmax is proud of its reputation for responsive customer service, short lead times, and ability to cross-reference competitors' heaters. This versatility plays a vital role in the metal plating industry, offering platers more options and freeing them from the cycle of repeatedly purchasing the same part, regardless of changes in price or lead times.

Today, Heatmax’s products are manufactured in their Mentor, Ohio facility, a short drive from Cleveland. Designed to be manufactured quickly, current lead times are as little as three (3) weeks for Metal Over-the-Side Heaters, two (2) weeks for PTFE Heaters, and one (1) week for Controls.

Conclusion

Heatmax Heaters’ new and improved Metal Plating Range offers excellent durability and safety for metal plating processes. The wide range of thermal protector features available means Heatmax Heaters can seamlessly replace other manufacturers’ immersion heaters, improving competition in the market and expanding the range of options for Platers. 

For more information, please contact Heatmax Heaters or visit their website to learn more about their products and how they can serve your operations.

Visit https://heatmaxheaters.com