Thick film heater elements and temperature sensors in modern domestic appliances

This paper describes the use of thick film heating elements in domestic appliances, and comparison is made of performance and cost between thick film and traditional heaters. Thick films are created by screen printing pastes, usually containing glass and metal powders, onto a flat substrate. A brief explanation of thick film technology is given. This technology has been used for many years in the electronics industry to produce circuits containing conductors, resistors and dielectrics. The structure of a thick film resistor makes it ideal for heating applications, and it may be deposited on a number of substrate materials. Experimental data demonstrating that thick films make effective and reliable heating elements and temperature sensors are presented. The combination of a thick film heating element with thick film temperature sensor on an insulated steel substrate is described.<>