Leading Air Heater Manufacturers

Industrial air heaters are rugged, heavy-duty construction ideal for the most demanding air processing applications. They are dirt, contamination, and vibration resistant, and the optimum sheath material and highest permitted watt densities decrease weight, size, and footprint. Read More…

Air Heaters Air heaters are electric heaters that use air circulation or a blower device to heat areas for domestic or for industrial purposes. Air heaters range in size and shape, although the most common air heaters are large, portable, and either rectangular-shaped or barrel-shaped. They are constructed by installing heating elements in a casing; the heating elements remain stationary while air ducts rotate alternately to expose sections of the heating plate elements to the circulating air.

Backer Hotwatt is a superior designer & manufacturer of electric heaters and related heater accessories for various OEM & industrial applications.

Backer Hotwatt, Inc. $$$

For more than 70 years, Ulanet™ has been engineering and manufacturing electric heaters, cartridge heaters, immersion heaters, tubular heaters, miniature strip heaters and bolt hole heaters, as well as industrial heaters and appliance thermostats.

Ulanet™ $$$

i-Heat designs and manufactures custom heating elements from a variety of materials. Our products include Silicone Rubber, Polyester Film, Kapton® Polyimide, High Temperature, Mica, Ceramic and Enclosures Heaters. We manufacture drop-in sub-assemblies with sensors, thermostats, fuses, cords and plugs.

Hi-Heat Industries, Inc. $$$

Backer Marathon is your premier manufacturer of electric heaters and a wide range of other heating components. Our inventory includes cartridge heaters, band heaters, coil heaters, and more. We have thousands of standard electric heater models, and our engineers are capable if designing a custom heater for more complex specifications. No matter what component you require, Backer Marathon is...

Backer Marathon, Inc. $$$

Dayco is a manufacturer of a variety of industrial heating and process equipment, including air electric heaters. Direct fired air heaters, indirect fired air heaters, make-up air heaters, recirculating air heaters, as well as custom heaters. Combustion systems and combustion parts and accessories are also available.

Dayco, Inc. $$$

DBK designs, develops and manufactures quality standard and custom electric thermal solutions. In addition to a full line of electric heaters, we provide heating elements and heater systems as well as thermoelectric coolers and filtered fan systems. Our expertise gives us the ability to adapt our technologies to find your thermal control solution from immersion heaters to ceramic heaters and more.

DBK USA, Inc. $$$
Get Your Company Listed
placeholder image Backer Hotwatt, Inc. Ulanet™ Hi-Heat Industries, Inc. Backer Marathon, Inc. Dayco, Inc. DBK USA, Inc.

In an air heater, industrial heat radiates into flowing air or fluid. Dirt, grease, and water in unfiltered air can shorten the life of heaters, especially open coil air heaters. Even after the heater is switched off, a time delay relay will maintain air flowing over the air heating element for some time. An over-temperature sensor can be placed next to the air heater itself if the temperature sensor is far down from the air heating element. Compared to tubular heaters, wire wound heating elements constructed of resistance wire have minimal pressure drop across the heating components.

Air Heaters

Salient Features of Air Heaters

  • For extended life and corrosion resistance, sheathed heating elements are employed. It's also possible to employ stainless steel-clad heating elements.
  • Insulation integrity is guaranteed as recompacted element bends eliminate voids.
  • Air heaters for high temperatures can provide up to a 20 W/in² rating and a max outlet temperature of 1200 °F (650 °C).
  • Stainless steel element spacers and supports are used to ensure the spacing and avoid drooping.
  • High-temperature air heaters have 5 to 300 kW ratings up to 480V.
  • The terminal enclosure is thermally insulated, which keeps the wire cool and decreases heat loss.
  • Procedure and over-temperature monitoring are possible with integrated sensors.
  • C-UL-approved systems are made up to 600VAC, ensuring safe and dependable operation.
  • For cool wiring temperatures, air heaters feature an insulated stand-off housing structure.

Material used for Air Heaters

Heating elements with rectangular fins are materials that guarantee maximum heat exchange with a minimal gradient.

All the resistors of an air heater have standardized production with the following characteristics:

  • Aluminized steel is used to make rectangular fins.
  • A high-quality AISI 321 steel tube acts as a rectangular fins mount.
  • Industrial heaters are available in both options, with or without an onboard thermocouple.
  • The resistors are assembled with a connection using a zinc-plated steel fitting and terminal blueprints.

Types of Air Heaters

Air heater is a broad phrase that can refer to various heaters.

  1. Duct Heaters

    Duct heaters work to heat gas streams in continuous movement as the gas passes through the heater.

    Duct Heater
  2. Forced Air Heaters

    These heaters use forced convection to pass air through a heat source with a fan or blower.

  3. Radiators

    Radiators consist of coils that contain circulated and heated media such as hot water, oil, or steam.

    Radiator Heater
  4. Tubular Heaters

    These are typically used in custom heating applications because the element is bendable into custom shapes.

    Tubular Heating Elements
  5. Enclosure Heaters

    Enclosure heaters provide humidity control, protection, and freeze control. They are commonly designed to be used in enclosures.

    Enclosure Heater
  6. Room Heaters

    Safe from emitting noxious fumes or hazardous pollutants, these are used in confined spaces and are generally portable.

    Space Heater
  7. Heat Torches

    These devices generate a focused flame or stream of abnormally hot air or gas.

    Flame Heater

Energy Sources of Air Heaters

Electricity, combustible fluids & solids, solar energy, or thermal fluids are the most common energy sources for air heaters.

  • Electrically Powered: Electric heaters either use single-phase or three-phase power. They differ in watt density and commonly use AC instead of DC.
  • Combustible Fluids and Solids: The fluids used to power air heaters include hydrocarbons. They can be classified as either liquid (diesel, fuel, oil) or gaseous (propane, natural gas). The solids acting as a power source can be wood or wood pallets.
  • Solar Energy: Solar energy is a renewable energy source used to power air heaters by applying a solar collector and a thermal mass transfer system.
  • Thermal Fluids: These are used to carry thermal energy in air heaters. Steam and hot water are the two most common fluids used in industrial applications.

Applications

Air heaters can be used in various residential, commercial, and industrial situations. HVAC systems and room or space heating are the primary applications for residential and commercial air heaters. Industrial applications include:

  • Calcination is a high-temperature heat treatment method for metals, ores, and minerals. The procedure removes hydrates and other impurities from solid materials to change their physical and chemical characteristics.
  • Air heaters can be used for preheating processes to prepare unfinished goods and materials for further processing.
  • Drying includes evaporation to remove water or other solvents. Inks, raw materials, coatings, and other goods may be dried with air heaters.
  • In addition, air heaters are utilized in a wide range of industries, including automotive, rubber, textiles, plastics, electronics, and packaging.
  • Air heaters are used in the semiconductor industry for drying wafers and PC boards, preheating process gases, heat shrinking wire insulation, and soldering lead frames.

Choosing the Right Air Heater Supplier

To ensure the most productive outcome when purchasing an air heater from an air heater supplier, it is important to compare several suppliers using our directory of air heater companies. Each air heater company has a business profile page highlighting their areas of experience and capabilities, along with a contact form to directly communicate with them for more information or request a quote. Review each air heater business website using our patented website previewer for a better idea of what each company specializes in. Then, use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple air heater companies with the same form.

Air Heaters Informational Video

 

Electric Heaters Power Pages

Band Heaters

Band Heaters

A band heater is a heating device that clamps onto objects to provide external heat using radiant and conductive heating. The different mounting methods of band heaters makes it possible to secure them tightly and firmly such that they do not shift or loosen...

Cartridge Heater

Cartridge Heater

A cartridge heater is a cylindrical tubular heating device that provides concise and precise heating for various forms of materials, machinery, and equipment. Unlike an immersion heater, a cartridge heater is inserted into a hole in the item to be heated to furnish internal radiant heat...

Ceramic Heaters

Ceramic Heaters

Ceramic heaters are electric heaters that utilize a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) ceramic heating element and generate heat through the principle of resistive heating. Ceramic materials possess sufficient electrical resistance and...

Electric Heaters

Electric Heaters

Electric heating is produced by using a known resistance in an electric circuit. This placed resistance has very few free electrons in it so it does not conduct electric current easily through it. When there is resistance in...

Heating Element

Heating Element

A heating element is a material or device that directly converts electrical energy into heat or thermal energy through a principle known as Joule heating. Joule heating is the phenomenon where a conductor generates...

Immersion Heaters

Immersion Heaters

An immersion heater is a fast, economical, and efficient method for heating liquids in tanks, vats, or equipment. Known as bayonet heaters, they have heating elements that can be directly inserted into a container of water, oil, or other material in order to heat the entire contents...

Infrared Heating

Infrared Heating

Infrared heating is a heating method used to warm surrounding bodies by infrared radiation. Thermal energy is transferred directly to a body with a lower temperature through electromagnetic waves in the infrared region...

Radiant Heaters

Radiant Heaters

Radiant heaters are systems that generate heat internally and then radiate it to the nearby objects and people. The sun is a basic example of a radiant heater. When we feel warm on our bodies on a sunny day...

Types of Electric Heaters

Cartridge Heater Inserted into a Plastic Mixing Block

The idea of an electric heater seems to be out of place in modern society since most buildings have a sophisticated central heating system. That may be true, but electric heaters can be a helpful way of saving energy while...

Thermocouples

Thermocouple

A thermocouple is a transducer that converts thermal energy into electrical energy and is constructed by joining wires made from dissimilar metals to form a junction. Voltage is produced when the temperature at the junction changes...

Heating Elements

Heating Elements

A heating element is a material or device that directly converts electrical energy into heat or thermal energy through a principle known as Joule heating. Joule heating is the phenomenon where a conductor generates heat due to the flow of electric current...

Infrared Heaters

Industrial Infrared Heater

Infrared heating is a method for heating materials that uses electromagnetic waves to transfer energy from the infrared source to the product without heating the air in between. The emitted infrared energy is between 0.7 microns (µ) and 6 µ...

Electric Heaters

Featured Industries