The need for even heat, thermal uniformity across a surface or if you need to be able to specify different power densities (heat) in different areas of the heater. By distributing the heater traces as needed, more power can be targeted in particular areas to meet the needs of the application. Low thermal mass means thick film heaters are very fast to respond both heating and cooling
Custom foot print. We laser cut all our ceramic and stainless steel substrates and therefore heaters and resistors can be in almost any 2-dimensional shape. If you have an odd form factor and off the shelf heaters don’t fit or don’t perform, then a custom designed thick film heater might be the answer- we are happy to discuss your application and help you determine if thick film is the right choice.
Space saving is another important advantage because thick film heaters and resistors offer a very low profile this is especially true when compared to bulky wire wound type heaters or resistors. The ability to select a thick film resistor ink of a particular value allows much less “real estate” to be used-this is particularly true when a compared to a wire wound type resistor or heater that requires a high resistance value-with wire wound technology the wires has to either be very long or the gage of the wire to be very small.
Most of our thick film products are custom designed and annual volumes can range from one to several thousand. Our NRE and development costs are very reasonable.