Integrated into many of our hot runners, manifolds and other heated components, brazed heater technology is a vast improvement with significant advantages, over traditional heating methods.
Advantages of Brazed Heater Technology includes:
- Enhanced Thermal Performance
- Lower Energy Consumption
- Superior Reliability
- Lower Operational Costs
Enhanced Performance
Precise thermal profiles and system thermal balance is critical to any molding process. Mold-Masters brazed heaters are permanently fixed and embedded within custom tailored heater channels. These heater channels are unique to the component which offer optimal thermal profile based on in-depth R&D testing and development. Heater channels are consistent from component-to-component which allows for exceptional thermal consistency drop-to-drop. The result is enhanced molded part quality throughout the mold and lower scrap rates.
By comparison, traditional heating methods such as heater bands (nozzles) and heater plates (manifolds) are common off-the-shelf solutions with several limitations. Heater bands can shift along the length of the nozzle which results in inconsistent heat profiles and cold spots. Traditional heaters also have a higher failure rate resulting in more downtime. In addition, because heater bands are an external component of the nozzle, they require greater OD cut-out dimensions to accommodate and often incorporate a protective heater sleeve that is required to protect them from physical damage.
Lower Energy Consumption
Brazed Heater Technology, which is embedded into the steel, is much more efficient at transferring and maintaining heat than traditional heater methods that sit on top of the steel. Since Brazed heaters have much higher contact surface area, the majority of energy is transferred directly into the steel. Brazed Heaters can be operated at a lower temperatures and with shorter run times than traditional heater elements. This can also help extend heater lifespan.
On internal tests on a low cavitation system, Mold-Masters hot runner systems consumed up to 27% less energy (on average) to process materials compared to hot runner systems of other global brands. It’s quite possible that higher cavitation competitive system could pull even more power.
Superior Reliability
Mold-Masters manufactures all of our Brazed Heater Elements in house, using our tightly controlled process, to guarantee that our high-quality standards are met. Before each heater element is permanently brazed into any Mold-Masters hot runner system it is tested for quality assurance. Finally, brazing eliminates any air gaps between the element and the steel which prevents any possibility of arcing, a common cause of failure associated with traditional heater elements. This is why, when used in conjunction with our precise TempMaster hot runner temperature controllers, we are able to offer an industry leading
10-Year Warranty on our Brazed Heater Technology.
As a general rule, 10% of traditional heaters fail and need replacing every year which is a significant requirement for ongoing maintenance. Traditional heaters are often more economical upfront, but these savings quickly get diminished as a result of higher operational costs through downtime, labour, spare parts and lost productivity.
If you are looking to significantly improve your molding process through enhanced repeatability and reliability, ask for Mold-Masters brazed heater technology on your next hot runner system.