Heater manufacturing — from drawing to finished product

About TEN-Miass

TEN-Miass has been manufacturing electric heaters since 2010. Over 15 years we have accumulated experience producing thousands of non-standard heaters — from miniature cartridge heaters for 3D printers to industrial flanged blocks up to 100 kW for steam boilers.

Our specialisation is production to customer drawings. The customer sends a sketch, photo of an old heater or simply a description of the task — we calculate the parameters, select materials, manufacture and ship. Among our long-term clients: Gazprom, IKEA, Volgograd International Airport, AHMAD TEA and hundreds of industrial enterprises worldwide.

Custom heaters are available for both domestic and industrial use. Products can be manufactured to standard GOST 13268-88 specifications or to individual requirements. All products carry a factory 1-year warranty.

What we manufacture

Our heaters perform excellently in a wide range of media — from clean potable water to aggressive chemical liquids, oils, melts and hot air flows. Full range:

• Tubular immersion heaters — for water, oil, food liquids and aggressive media. 10 standard shapes, sheath materials per GOST 13268-88.
• Flanged heater blocks (SEV, SEM) — for boilers, water heaters, industrial tanks. Threaded and bolt-flange, up to 100 kW per assembly.
• Air and finned heaters — for furnaces, drying chambers, air-handling units, air curtains.
• Band and ring heaters — for external heating of cylindrical surfaces (extruders, injection moulding machines).
• Cartridge heaters — single-ended for moulds, machine tools, solid-fuel boiler glow plugs.
• Flat heaters — mica, ceramic, cast. Including flexible silicone heaters.

Tubular heater manufacturing process — step by step

A classical tubular electric heater per GOST 13268-88 is produced in several process steps:

1. Sheath tube preparation. We cut tube to the required diameter (6.5 · 8 · 10 · 13 mm) and length. Material selected by heating medium: copper M1 (water), stainless AISI 304/316 or 12X18N10T (water, food, acids), carbon steel C10 (oil), titanium (highly aggressive media).
2. Resistance wire preparation. Nichrome (Ni80Cr20) or FeCrAl wire is cut to precise length — its resistance at the specified voltage produces the required power.
3. Coil winding. Wire is wound on a ceramic mandrel. For high-watt heaters the winding pitch is non-uniform — tighter at the ends, looser in the middle — to compensate cold zones.
4. Terminal rod fitting. Copper-brass rods M4–M8 are soldered or swaged to the ends of the coil.
5. Assembly into tube. The assembly (mandrel + coil + rods) is inserted into the sheath tube.
6. Periclase filling. Voids are filled with magnesium oxide powder — simultaneously an electrical insulator and thermal conductor. Thorough compaction is essential: under-filled periclase causes air pockets and local overheating.
7. Swaging. The tube is drawn through a die — the walls compress the periclase, thermal resistance drops dramatically, and the sheath becomes rigid.
8. Bending to shape. The element is bent to the required form (U, L, M, ring, spiral) on mandrels. Complex shapes require multiple passes.
9. Ceramic insulators fitted on cold pins at the tube exit points.
10. End-seal. Epoxy resin or silicone sealant — moisture protection at the terminal ends.
11. Testing. Resistance measurement, test energisation, temperature measurement. Every heater is individually inspected.
12. Marking and packaging. GOST-compliant marking, packed in cardboard with documentation.

The full cycle from order to despatch: 3–5 days. For urgent orders — 3 days.

Sheath materials

Sheath material selection is the first decision in any heater design. It determines service life, allowable watt density and compatibility with the heating medium:

• AISI 304, AISI 316 — universal stainless steels for water, food media, weak acids and alkalis;
• 12X18N10T (321 equivalent) — titanium-stabilised food-grade stainless; standard for food and medical industries;
• Copper M1 — high thermal conductivity. Water heaters for boilers, washing machines, kettles;
• Carbon steel C10 — for oils, fats, non-aggressive media;
• Seamless drawn tube — enhanced strength for high-pressure applications;
• Titanium — for highly aggressive media (acids, seawater);
• Incoloy 800/825, Inconel — heat-resistant nickel alloys for temperatures above 500 °C;
• Zinc coating — corrosion protection for carbon steel;
• PTFE (Teflon) coating — tested in concentrated sulphuric acid and other aggressive media.

Non-standard production

Standard heaters cover approximately 80% of applications. For the remaining 20% — where something unique is required — in-house production is the decisive advantage. We manufacture heaters with bespoke technical parameters.

Examples of non-standard orders:

• Heater for injection mould with multiple cold zones — unheated sections at precisely specified locations;
• Tubular heater on DC supply — e.g. 12 V / 6000 W for autonomous installations;
• Sealed heater with solder-tag terminals — for marine and subsea applications;
• Flanged block with titanium sheath — for plating tanks and acid solutions;
• Miniature heaters 3–4 mm diameter, 20–50 mm long, for medical devices and electronics;
• Finned heaters with non-standard fin pitch matched to a specific air flow.

Standard heaters follow a typical production cycle. Non-standard orders require drawing review and tooling selection — but the lead time is still 3–5 days.

Worldwide shipping

Production and manufacturing time: 3–5 days. We ship worldwide via DHL, FedEx, SDEK and other carriers. Lead time from order to delivery: typically 5–10 business days depending on destination.

We guarantee that heaters arrive undamaged. If damage occurs in transit — return the order and we will replace it.

Certification and standards

All products are certified to GOST 13268-88 — the primary standard for tubular electric heaters. We also manufacture to international standards:

• DIN — German industrial standards;
• IEC — international electrotechnical standards;
• ASTM — American material and construction standards.

Simply specify the required standard in your order — we will prepare documentation and manufacture accordingly. A product passport / datasheet is supplied with every order.