Ceramic Heater Mold with Spaced Burrs for Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing ceramic heaters are inefficient due to inferior burr removal workability and the need to integrate separate insulating members, leading to increased operational complexity and costs.
Innovation Solution
The ceramic heater design features a heating resistor with opposing conducting portions and burrs that are spaced apart, allowing for the elimination of the burr removal step through a specialized mold structure that bends burrs during the molding process, enabling low-cost manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional injection molding is used to manufacture heating compacts, then the heating elements can be produced, but burrs are formed on the conducting portions requiring additional removal steps
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is designed with burr-forming portions that proactively create burrs on the conducting portions during the injection molding process. This preliminary action of intentionally forming burrs allows for their subsequent controlled removal or utilization, transforming a detrimental byproduct into a manageable feature that eliminates the need for separate burr removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of viewing burrs as harmful defects requiring additional removal steps, the invention converts them into a beneficial feature by designing the mold to intentionally form burrs on the conducting portions. These controlled burrs improve electrical contact and connection reliability, transforming what was previously a manufacturing nuisance into a functional advantage that enhances product performance.
2Reliability
If separate insulating members are used to house the heating compact, then insulation is provided, but the number of operations increases and integration complexity rises
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the insulating member with the mold structure itself, integrating the insulation function directly into the manufacturing tooling. The mold includes insulating portions that form insulating structures around the heating compact during injection molding, eliminating the need for separate insulating members and reducing assembly operations while maintaining reliable insulation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it forms the heating compact, creates controlled burrs on conducting portions for improved electrical contact, and integrates insulating portions that provide electrical insulation. This multi-functional mold design eliminates the need for separate insulating members and reduces the overall number of components and assembly steps.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
Provided is a ceramic heater, which can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. The ceramic heater comprises a heating resistor comprising a first conducting portion and a second conducting portion which face each other and a ceramic base in which the heating resistor is embedded. The first conducting portion comprises a first burr which extends from the first conducting portion and is located between the first conducting portion and the second conducting portion. The second conducting portion comprises a second burr which extends from the second conducting portion and is located between the second conducting portion and the first conducting portion. At least a part of the first and second burrs is spaced apart from the line that linking a starting point of the first burr and a starting point of the second burr in a cross-section perpendicular to a conduction direction of the first and second conducting portions.