Category Archives: ISOPAD

Heated cable inlet for climatic chambers

ISOPAD

Target market :

Manufacturers and operators of climatic chambers.

Challenge :

Prevention of condensation at the cable inlet inside and outside of climatic chambers.

Description of the problem without a heated cable inlet :

Condensation at the cable inlet due to climatic differences between the inside and the outside of the chamber.

Condensation on the measuring cables inside and outside of the temperature test chamber when using a standard inlet.

Risk :

High financial risk if long-term climatic tests have to be cancelled because of condensation in the climatic chamber. Condensation damages the test materials and affects the climate regulation in the chamber.

Solution :

Heated cable inlet from THERMOCOAX Isopad® GmbH. A standard inlet with geometric properties, the best possible sealing and a heated area inside of the cable inlet.

Test results with a heated cable inlet :

Decrease in the amount of condensation formed inside the climatic chamber by approx. 95% and by 100% outside of the climatic chamber!

The risk of failure is extremely reduced because there are hardly any condensation drops in the chamber (airflow can spread the drops onto the test material).

No water on the floor outside the chamber. The risk of slipping is eliminated, thereby extremely reducing the risk of accidents !

 

 

 

THERMOCOAX ISOPAD Gas line heating Jackets

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Gas line heating jackets for high purity gas delivery systems

 

silicone Jacket
Gas line heater

THERMOCOAX is involved in many levels of the wafer manufacturing processes working with OEM all around the world.

We provide thermal solutions for applications such as lithography, deposition, etching, ion implantation, or annealing.

While developing our business in the ALD deposition processes, we understood the need of our customers to heat the high purity gas delivery systems from the ampoule to the deposition chambers.

Temperature control is extremely important in the deposition process.

This is why industrials need to have a high performance gas delivery system in terms of management of the gas flow rate and temperatures.

Transfer line heating jackets are used for both solid and liquid precursor management in semiconductor deposition processes.

The heating temperature requested is in the range of 80°C to120°C. Typically, the range of thermal solutions is provided by our German subsidiary ISOPAD, specifalist in the development and manufacture of customized silicon heating solutions.

The main concern of our customers was the need to keep the temperature uniform all the way from the gas generation ampoule to the deposition chamber. This complex way includes straight tubes, Tees, elbows (2P,3P), VCR, valves, manifolds and complex components.

Each delivery system is specific to the customer process.

That  was the challenge for THERMOCOAX ISOPAD.

Another limitation of this application is the use of jackets that must be installed, positioned as easily as possible in an environment with limited space.

ISOPAD has a lot of experience in high performance silicon jackets.

The silicone jacket is a well-known product for our company, all the expertise we have gained from working with our other OEM customers have been used to design and construct a high volume production solution.

All core competencies are in house, only the raw materials are bought in.

Many years ago, we developed filter heating jackets for the biotechnology industries, built with seamless silcone rubber that does not need affixing.

 

Isopad Silicone Jacket
Silicone Jacket

These jackets have a real advantage on the market because of the flexibility they provide  in terms of positioning and ease of cleaning.

The one-piece molded design is formed out of a two-component silicone rubber compound that fits around the filter housings without any affixing methods that may  not be compliant for use in those production processes.

 

The target for THERMOCOAX ISOPAD to adapt this solution to the SEMICON applications was:

  • to adapt this technology to smaller diameters, and to complex shapes.
  • To achieve the customer specifications on uniformity over the full line assembly
  • To find good materials for clean-room use and respond to the SEMICONDUCTOR requirements in term of low contamination properties.

Due to our expertise, we quickly managed to design and prototype a full line assembly responding to our customers’ demanding specifications.

 

The advantages of our solution:

These heating jackets provide an innovative design on the market with short delivery time.

Built with seamlessly-molded silicone rubber, these jackets offer a better thermal performance due to a close-fitting design and a high uniformity over the complete line.

With a product that has demonstrated a longer service life than existing solutions, we can deal with any installations of new deposition systems, but also spare parts for installed systems.

Applications that addresses our offer:

PeCVD, PVD, ALD, Epitaxy, ETCH, Wafer packaging, cleaning chamber processes etc.

 

THERMOCOAX KEY DIFFERENTIATION FACTORS:

 Technical Performance

. Custom-built line assembly

. Seamlesly-molded silicone

. Close-fitting design

. Better thermal performance, heat 68°F (20°C) up to 275°F (135°C)

. Reduced installation faults

. Lower overall risk of production downtimes

. Longer service life

. Easy to install & remove

. Outgassing according NASA standards

 

THERMOCOAX is a certified for Copy Exact:

 Specifications

  • Thermal gas flow uniformity: ± 5°C in the complete line assembly
  • Better thermal performance, heat 68°F (20°C) up to 275°F (135°C)

(minimum 1 meter of length)

  • Reduces installation faults
  • Lower overall risk of production downtimes

 

  • Jacket: silicone rubber, seamlessly molded, easy to clean, IP68 standard
  • Minimum gas line diameter: ¼ inch OD
  • Affixing technology: ” snap-on ” design by molding, easy to install and remove
  • temperature:   200 °C
  • UL-V0 standard, FDA-approved ultra-low emission material

 

Heater design to fit standard components used in weldments

  • Straight tube
  • Elbows (2p, 3p)
  • Tee
  • VCR fitting, etc.
  • Specially-formed and customised heaters for valves, manifolds and complex components

This high purity gas line heater development has been combined with the development of ampoule and canister heaters which are used in all deposition processes and with RF thermocouples used in the plasma environment to control the temperature in the deposition chamber.


Ampoule heater

THERMOCOAX meets the requirements of the SEMICON market in terms of repeatability, temperature uniformity, production control, quality monitoring, and COPY EXACT high volume manufacturing.

For high volume manufacturing, THERMOCOAX works with a continuous improvement strategy for:

  • Design
  • Manufacturing process
  • Cost reduction

 

THERMOCOAX is highly adaptable to specific customer requests

 

 

 

 

Drum heaters solution for industrial areas

ISOPAD

 

 

Most media stored in drums before processing can begin will require heating to reduce viscosity and to enable easy removal of the liquid or semi-liquid from the drum. Other media stored in drums require temperature maintenance for a period of time to keep the media in its liquid or semi-liquid form.

All of our drum heaters are available for hazardous and nonhazardous locations, can heat metal or plastic drums, and will heat up to 300°C.

                                  

 

High efficiency

The drum heater is designed to be energy-efficient through its ideal combination of power, thermal insulation and temperature control.

Temperature control of the drum contents allows easy heating of liquid to your desired temperature, easing removal and optimizing usage of the liquefied product.

Our drum heaters provide a clean and compact way of attaining uniform surface heating of drums.

Safe, easy handling

With a unique “clam shell” design and castors, our drum heaters can simply be wheeled up to, and closed around, the drum. The clam shell design also allows the heater to be stored open, against a wall, taking up less space.

Castors are antistatic and have parking brakes to stop heaters from moving while in use.

State-of-the-art technology for hazardous locations

We currently offer IECEx and ATEX certifications to the latest European market standards. Drum and drum-base heaters for hazardous areas are equipped with a self-regulating heating system that does not require a separate temperature limiter for compliance with the temperature class.

Electrical supply options

Our nonhazardous drum heaters are available for single-phase and three-phase operation (230 V / 400 V).

Drum heaters for hazardous locations are available for single-phase only.

Solid construction

All drum heaters are made of heavy gauge sheet steel with a double skin construction, which houses the electric heating elements, which cover the whole of the inner surface. The heating elements are equipped with reinforced thermal insulation to prevent heat loss through the outer wall.

 

Electrical heating system for high voltage (HV) cables and ultra-high voltage (UHV) cable manufacturing and maintenance

ISOPAD, , , , , , , , , ,

High voltage (HV) and ultra-high voltage UHV cables are very rigid.

The inner wires of the high voltage cables have strong mechanical tensions. It is very difficult to bend this cable.

Most of the time the cable is laid in a straight line underground. But it is sometimes necessary to bend the cable to follow a precise path, to make junctions or terminations.

The solution is to pre-heat the cables prior to bending.

The heat makes the inner wires and the complete cable more flexible. The operators can then bend the cable or start the connection.

Thermocoax, with its product range ISOPAD, provides flexible heating jackets that meet the requirements of manufacturers and installers of high voltage (HV) cables.

The challenge

The challenge is to provide flexible heating jackets based on heating cable technology with the following performance:

  • An efficient safety system to prevent any risk of overheating,
  • Strong, durable and easy-to-use fasteners
  • Heating jacket lengths up to 2 m
  • Sensors positioned so as to optimize the temperature control of the heating jacket
  • An electronic control system for up to three heaters mounted in parallel

  

The configuration of the heating jacket for high voltage (HV) cables

One contact temperature limiter at 100 °C for PTFE cable protection.

One heating wire temperature limiter at 230 °C.

Contact temperature sensor for the controller.

Pluggable heating jacket with strain relief system at jacket outlet.

 

An efficient fastening system

  • Belts with fasteners.
  • Strong fixation to support outdoor operation with high voltage (HV) cables.
  • Easy attachable and detachable belts
  • Quick fasteners

 

ISOPAD provides jackets that fit perfectly with various diameters of high voltage (HV) cables.

The diameter is clearly marked on the jacket.

A homogeneous and efficient heating solution

The performance of the ISOPAD electrical heating jacket has been validated by laboratory tests.

The temperature required for the bending operation of high voltage (HV) cables is around 85 °C.

The graph below shows temperature over time.
Measurements were made at different points of the cable structure using temperature sensors.
Sensors have been positioned on the surface of the jacket, on the surface of the cable and inside the HV high voltage cable.

 

Special temperature regulation controller for three heaters in parallel
  • Flexible and mobile
  • IP65
  • SSR controlled
  • Optional metal case

 

 

 

Specifications – heating jacket for high voltage heating cables

  • Material: glass silk with aluminum coating on the outer surface
  • Area classification, ordinary area , non-hazardous, IP20
  • Electrical protection class: class I with metal sheath
  • Maximum withstand temperature (power off): 260 °C for the inside of the jacket – 100 °C for the outside because of the PE tapes.

 Heater Construction 

  • Type: Resistance heating cable
  • Material of insulation: PTFE
  • Material of outer sheath: glass silk with aluminum coating
  • Thickness of thermal insulation: 10 mm glass wool

Temperature Control 

  • Sensor type: two-wire PT100
  • Two temperature limiters: one at 100 °C for the PTFE cables and one at 230 °C for the heating wires

 

Technical Data 

  • Frequency 50-60 Hz
  • Maximum operating voltage: 240 Vac others available on request
  • Maximum area load: 0.2 W/cm² – Typical: 6 W/dm²

 

 

 

 

 

Silicon filter heaters solution

Industries, ISOPAD

Heating Jackets for Water for Injection (WFI) and High Purity Water (HPW) Filtration Processes

Filtration is essential in many different processes throughout almost every industry in terms of separation and prevention. Filtration is critical to the process and the quality of the product. When using water for injection in production of food, beverages or pharmaceuticals the focus is on process stability and prevention of downtime. The good manufacturing practice (GMP or cGMP) and Federal Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines set standards in terms of design and inspection of WFI and HPW systems. When it comes to filtration processes, the vent filters, installed in line of the system, play an important role during phases of design and inspection. The vent filter is an essential component, which the following paragraph by the FDA describes:
“The one component of the holding tank that generates the most discussion is the vent filter. It is expected that there be some program for integrity testing this filter to assure that it is intact. Typically, filters are now jacketed to prevent condensate or water from blocking the hydrophobic vent filter. If this occurs (the vent filter becomes blocked), possibly either the filter will rupture or the tank will collapse.”

bandeau page industry

Most common in rigid stainless steel systems for food, beverage and pharmaceutical production are steam jacketed vent filter housings. A good and reliable solution, but in terms of investment and installation, steam jacketed systems are costly. It is also very time consuming during replacement sessions of the inner filter cartridges. At the end, these systems are not very flexible once installed in a production process.

One alternative that provides easy handling and replacement are electrical vent filter heating jackets. They provide a maximum on safety with accurate temperature control and are easy to install on the vent filter housing. One may say that electrical heaters are a potential hazard and are not suitable for use in such environments, but these heating jackets are of unique design to fit exactly those stringent requirements.

The one-piece molded design is formed out of a two-component silicone rubber compound that fits around the filter housings without any fixation methods that may be not compliant for use in those production processes. The design provides a high level on ingress protection safety and is fully functional even 24 hours after submerging into potable water. The construction also focuses on minimizing potential voids to prevent formation of residue and microbes. By using only silicone rubber compounds for the complete design one benefit is that the complete heating jacket can be easily cleaned with most common detergents used for cleaning WFI and HPW systems.

Filtermanschette (5)

A second advantage is that the silicone rubber heating jackets are following latest EHEDG and 3-A Sanitary standards for food production processes. Finally, they pass FDA and BfR specifications concerning silicone rubber materials and all components pass latest RoHS and REACH requirements.

Different Scales of Production for Biopharmaceutical Applications and Processes

More benefits of the electrical heating jackets arise when we move towards latest biopharmaceutical applications. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for single use technologies in different scales of production. From prototyping, through tabletop applications all the way up to large reactor systems, these processes also require high purity water injection that use special vent filters. The vent filters used for single use systems are typically made of polymers instead of stainless steel design. Diversity in design, shape and size make it inapplicable to use steam jacketing. Since the same regulations apply for any WFI system, those filters need to be heat traced in order to prevent dew formation inside and clogging of the lines. Electrical heating jackets provide the one alternative for any production scale whilst remaining all benefits in regards to safety and necessary design requirements.

Production Scales Online Casino HEX Baccarat Infographic

Heating Systems for Gasbottles in a Gasturbine Power Plant

ISOPAD

Starting up a Gasturbine for a Power Plant takes on some material, human resources and machinery. It was the task for Isopad to heat up the Gasbottle batteries that were used to ignite the Gasturbines. The problem was limited space and special weighing devices for the gasbottles. This made the installation of the heating unit a challenge. Isopad took it on.