Surface Coating on Immersion Heaters

Why haven't you used the data that is available from your customers?

The heaters are running well and they do not have any complaints. But, I'm just inquisitive. Hope someone can help me through.

"If it works, don't fix it" - Anon

I used to use a lot of immersion heaters.

Most were 316L CRES. Some Titanium and some Hastelloy C 76.

The looks were not important. Cost and performance were.

Your customers should be looking for longevity and good costing.

Adding a surface finish does not add value to the heater.

Passivate them and ship them!

Thank you Lynn for your comments. It is true that the durability is more important but our client insists on the surface finishing too. What is the best way to make the tubes passive?

OK.

Maybe electropolishing is better for your cosmetic needs.

Electropolishing vs. Passivation - What's the Difference?

You may need to study surface finishes in more detail than I'm willing to indulge.

I work in a heater manufacturing company in India and we make different kinds of heaters. For immersion heaters we usually use SS 316 or Incoloy. At times we nickel plate the heaters for a better finish.Answer.... You work in a heater manufacturing company. Your engineers and the customer specifications are the leading design and surface finish criteria!Go ask one of the engineers or were you kicked out of the office for asking too many "questions"?

Oh... here is the definition:

pas·si·vateˈpasəˌvāt/verb

1. make (a metal or other substance) unreactive by altering the surface layer or coating the surface with a thin inert layer."components are made from passivated and anodized aluminum"
• ELECTRONICScoat (a semiconductor) with inert material to protect it from contamination.

Maybe the word for the day should be: "pacify" ?

As in: "Pacify the client" or "Pacify the patsy"

Maybe we should all become pacifists then everybody would play well together.

"At times we nickel plate the heaters for a better finish. Does it affect the life of the heaters? Also, I have seen that some heaters have a black coating on it."

Don't you know your manufacturing process in detail?

Sir, we usually donot put any kind of surface coat on the heaters which gives a raw finish. We nickel plate the copper tubes but if its INCOLOY, we usually deliver the material giving it a natural finish. Our client now insists that it should be plated including the screw type flange with which the heaters are welded. Nickel is a common procedure which is followed here. I just wanted to know if there is any other plating chemical that can be used on these heaters.

Not if your client wants nickel!

Yes if another client wants something else.

D'oh!

What other than nickel can be done?

You tell me. After all it is your process!

Sir,I am not sure of anything other than nickel.

Chromium?

Silver?

Gold?

Copper?

Zinc?

Maybe the customer is trying to prevent corrosion of the element and mounting threads so that the element are easier to remove and will last longer?

All the immersion heaters I ever used had completely sealed wetted parts.

The leads were in tubes that were well above fluid level and dry.

Still trying to figure who wants pretty immersion heaters.

Me too. Maybe it a new rectal application for medical personnel use? Maybe in the geriatrics field in Minnesota? Or Canada?

Maybe it is installed in a glass tube where it is visible and they want to impress the customers.

"Oh look at the shiny thing-a-ma-jig! We need to buy these! They are much prettier than those old black ones!""

yancheng laiyuan electric equipment co. ltd supply coustomize electric industrial heater,

www.china-laiyuan.com/

CR4 ADMIN - email address removed

From the CR4 Rules: Do not post phone numbers or email addresses. The CR4 Admin will delete all phone numbers and email addresses posted in threads or comments. You can share this information via the CR4 internal messaging system.