A bimetal thermostat is considered a high temperature thermostat. These thermostats perform well under extreme temperature conditions. These thermostats are very rugged and durable. This makes them ideal for a variety of products. Engineering designers can install a bimetal thermostat everything from cooking appliances, HVAC equipment, refrigerators, industrial applications and much more.
Commercial and industrial manufacturers of appliances and other equipment are expected to meet design and pricing goals whenever they introduce new products. A thermostat is a fast acting device and is designed to work in some of the most extreme conditions such as exposure to liquid, dust and hazardous materials. What makes a bimetal thermostat so unique is the fact that the contacts are thermally and electronically isolated from one another.
As the name implies, a bimetal thermostat is made from two strips of metal that are fused together at one end and left pen at the other. Various metals are known to expand at different rates when they become warm. When two different metals are bonded together, they act as a simple electronic controller able to operate under unusually high temperatures. Controllers like this are commonly found in ovens and refrigerators.
Putting two different metals together creates a metallic strip. One metal expands more slowly than the other in response to the opening and closing temperature. A temperature switch operates as a protection against rapidly changing temperatures. This process is known as creep action. The metal strip bends upward making contact which allows the current to continue flowing freely. The creep action's purpose is to average out the temperature changes to prevent potential problems with the switch's operation.
Bimetal thermal switches are designed to provide applications with a complete on and of state so there is no unnecessary power drainage. The temperature settings are preset by the manufacturer. Thermal switches can be found in many everyday appliances as well as commercial and industrial applications. The switches help with controlling preset temperature. Some thermostats are even have forecasting capabilities where current controls occurs as soon as the two metals begin warming, before the accelerated temperature is reached.
There are a number of industry innovations on the horizon for bimetal thermostats. Some of the newest features include tilt switches and pilot lights that reveal unsafe or extremely high preset temperature ranges. The tilt switches help protect against fire if and electrical appliance or heater gets knocked over. Thermal devices are the common choice of commercial and industrial industries because of their durability, flexibility and accuracy.
Another emerging thermostat trend is miniaturization. You can currently find bimetal switches are available in TO-220 and eight-pin DIP standard packages. This packaging makes it easy to mount thermostats onto PC boards using pick and place equipment. Nickel plated copper brackets used for mounting encourage good thermal contact to heart sinks and other bimetal thermally charged surfaces.
We have worked with DeVale for 5 years and have experienced a level of quality and customer support that is not seen often in our inventory of vendors.
© Copyright 2007-2009 DeVale Industries, Inc.