Opportunity:
A food processing company was utilizing a cable heater held in a stainless steel milled groove to seal the lids of yogurt containers. The assembly did not meet the desired specifications for thermal performance, was unreliable and caused significant downtime.
The heaters began to fail within one to four weeks of insertion because they could not withstand the regular equipment wash downs required for the application. The customer also had to carry large inventories of replacement components (cable heaters and many stainless steel parts). This situation forced them to search for an alternative solution.
Solution:
Watlow provided a cast-in aluminum heater to fit into a redesigned assembly. The required part had to be small 101 mm (4 in.), which limited the heater design options.
Watlow delivered the necessary wattage with a short length, parallel coiled cable heater.
The heater replaced several stainless steel components, thus lowering the part count. The efficient heat transfer of the cast aluminum assembly improved the thermal performance to the desired customer specifications. Downtime and change out times were also reduced when the customer added a quick disconnect plug. The benefits realized by the new Watlow design were reduced inventory levels, a more reliable process and less downtime. The more efficient cast-in heater reduced wattage by about 50 percent and still produced reliable seals between the lid and container.
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