Printed heaters customised to your application

Printed heaters are well suited to applications where heat needs to be applied locally and close to the surface or component being heated.

The heater layout can be adapted to the available area and to the required heating pattern.

If the main requirement is to heat a large volume of air rather than a surface or component, a printed heater may not be the most suitable solution.

The required operating temperature is a key design parameter because the substrate, ink system, protective layers and adhesive all have temperature limits.

For PTC heaters, the electrical resistance increases as the temperature rises, creating a self-regulating effect. The final operating temperature still depends on the heater design, applied voltage and thermal conditions around the heater.

The earlier the target temperature and operating environment are defined, the better the heater can be designed around the application.

The available voltage and power determine how the heater can be designed.

Heater resistance, heated area and required heat output must be considered together. Low-voltage operation is possible, but the available power must still be sufficient to compensate for heat losses and achieve the required temperature.

Defining the electrical conditions early helps determine whether the required heating performance is realistic.

Printed heaters can be produced on flexible polymer substrates and are therefore well suited to applications where the heater needs to follow the geometry of the product.

Flexibility should, however, be distinguished from stretchability. The allowable bending, repeated flexing or mechanical deformation depends on the complete material stack and must be considered during development.

If the application involves repeated movement or significant deformation, this should be defined early in the design process.

The performance of a printed heater depends not only on the electrical design, but also on how heat is transferred into the surrounding product and how much heat is lost to the environment.

Mounting method, contact with the heated surface, insulation, ambient temperature and airflow all influence the required power and resulting operating temperature.

Understanding the thermal environment is therefore essential for designing a printed heater that performs as intended in the final application.

Mekoprint’s printed heaters are designed as integration-ready components for customers developing their own products and electrical architecture.

The heater can include printed busbars, contact pads, overcoat, lamination and adhesive. Electrical connection, power supply and any required temperature control or sensing are integrated as part of the customer’s system.

This allows Mekoprint to focus on the design and scalable production of the printed heater element, while the customer retains control of the final system integration.