Heatron|Aluminum Nitride Thick Film Technology from Heatron

Heatron's aluminum nitride thick film heaters are custom designed and manufactured to meet a range of very high-performance applications.  These heaters are ideal for applications requiring excellent thermal conductivity, low profile packaging, uniform surface temperatures, high purity and chemical compatibility.  The aluminum nitride substrate can provide the highest thermal conductivity with very high insulation standoff per unit thickness of available thick film heater material systems.

Aluminum nitride heaters provide ideal solutions for high-voltage AC or DC supply, small to mid-size heater, power resistor, and high-temperature circuit applications where thermal conductivity is the primary design requirement.

Operating temperatures can be up to 500 C (932°F).  The aluminum nitride dielectric can withstand greater than 5 KVAC depending on construction and design details.  Single or double sided circuits are offered.

Substrates can be produced in prototype through high-volume quantities via press molded or sheet formed fabrication.

Substrates for Heatron aluminum nitride heaters and circuits are typically laser-fabricated from standard sheet thicknesses of ~0.010" to 0.040".   Stamped, green-scored and dry-pressed are also available for custom and high-volume applications.

Heatron aluminum nitride heaters are available on sheets substrates up to ~5" x 7" in size, which includes multiple part arrays.  For odd shape, 3D heater or larger size applications contact Heatron sales engineering.  Thick film heater circuits can be built on one or both sides.   High-temperature glass-ceramic and conventional UV-cure resin-based solder masks or encapsulants are available.  Value-added surface-mount circuit component assembly is provided in-house from Heatron, as well as more complex heater system assembly.

Medical & Life Sciences
Dialysis, CPAP, Blood Diagnostics, DNA Analysis, Blood Warming, Fluid Warming, Temperature Therapy, Surgical Irrigation, Sterilization, Instrument Warming, MRI Equipment.

Transportation
Instrumentation, Battery and Oil Heating, Over the Road Truck and Railcar Freeze Protection, Personal Comfort Heating in Auto and Motorcycles.

Food Service
Warming Cabinets, Prep Stations, Heated Display Shelves, Heated Dishware.

Semiconductor
Custom heater and test board solutions

Industrial
Packaging Lines, Motor Heaters, Electronic Enclosures, Freeze Protection, Plastic Fabrication.

Voltage
Heatron aluminum nitride heaters can be custom designed to operate from 2 to 480 volts.  Series and parallel resistive heater circuits, including dual-voltage configurations are available. 

Wattage
Custom watt density designs are available, providing added efficiency and control.  Our engineers can design different sections of the Heatron aluminum nitride heaters with different watt densities for surface temperature uniformity or to meet wattage targets in a given area of the heater.  Power densities up to 1000 W/in² are available due to the very high substrate thermal conductivity of ±200 W/m•k.

Sensors
Heatron aluminum nitride heaters can be combined with surface-mount thermistors or RTD's for direct on-board feedback control. These SMT sensors on the heater can be provided with independent circuitry within the heater used to return the signal to the lead exit area, maintaining a desirable low profile.

Connecting Leads
Heatron aluminum nitride heater can be supplied with power leads soldered directly to the board and with a range of available SMT connectors.  Wire gages typically used are in the 18 to 26 AWG range, but a broad range of connection hardware schemes are available depending on basic heater size and design.  Custom connection solutions can be co-engineering with the customer's designers.

Agency Approvals
Heatron aluminum nitride heaters do not have specific agency approval, but can be built into final assemblies and appliances that will meet US and international agency approvals.