Heaters used for pre-heating or heating liquids in pails or drums are called Drum Heaters. Heating in such a manner increases the liquid flow and also helps in reducing its viscosity. These heaters are used for heat applications which are further used for for coating, pouring, mixing or dipping operations. Different types of drum heating methods are cabinet, wrap, immersion, and tunnel.

Features
Drum heaters posses following features:

• Installation and usage is simple.
• Their operation is safe because mechanism is provided to protect the user from electric shocks due to accidental contact with conducting parts.
• For obtaining required temperature there is variable thermostat.
• They can be heated to high temperature values.
• Rugged and reliable construction.
• Materials so heated are protected from external contamination.

Type
On different basis drum heaters are classified as:

Benefits of Mica Insulated Drum Heaters Drum heat can be adjusted Installation and removal is easy Easy cleaning and maintenance

Mica Insulated Drum Heaters
These type of electric drum heaters are mainly engineered for tolerating extreme industrial conditions. Some mica insulated drum heaters have single piece design, whereas some others come in snap bi-metal temperature controller and a spring loaded handle. The case is made of stainless steel. The two-piece model consist of trunnion fastener in addition to a thermostat and latch.

Silicone Rubber Heaters

Benefits of Silicone Rubber Heaters Using electric power they can be grounded easily Have good reliability and are durable Installation, removal, maintenance and cleaning is easy

In this type of heaters sheets are made of reinforced fiberglass silicone rubber. If Silicone sheets are vulcanized and bonded under pressure and heat, they can withstand tough industrial usages. These type of heaters help in providing resistance to most chemicals, fungus, and moisture as well. They can be cleaned easily. They are also provided with thermostat which is used to control the temperature.

Applications of Drum Heaters
Following are the applications of drum heater

• Cylinder Heating
• Hopper Heating
• Melting Paraffin
• Melting of Resins
• Chocolate Melting

Buying Tips Drum Size, Operating Voltage, Operating Temperature, Dielectric Strength, Grounding Thermostat Range and Heating Elements are some of the specifications which should be taken care of before purchasing drum heaters. Types and the strength of the insulating materials, type of heating elements etc should also be checked before going for drum furnace. The purpose shall decide the length and design of the heater.