Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company

Mks Instruments, Inc.

Shawn Leininger

Eric Ellis

William Bohlinger

Louis P Steinhauser

Youfan Gu

James P Hentges

Allen Norman Boldt

Kurt W Peterson

James H Kreisel

Dale Thomas Wolfe

Jeffrey D Kiernan

Robert O Moran

Curtis A Foster

Mark Louis-Gilmer Hoven

Jason R Powell

Charles C Lawhead

Peggy Gruenloh

Steve Brncic

A multiple heater control system includes cables, connectors, and junction boxes for user-friendly daisy chain connections of heater controllers and heaters in various configurations or combinations of individually controlled heater series and/or master and slave heater series. The heater controllers include process control of AC power to the heaters and upper-limit safety shutoff that is substantially independent from the process control. The heater controllers also have variable levels of control, adjustment, display, and communications functionality in a base module that is expandable to various levels with expansion modules that are attachable to and detachable from the base module. Connector, cable, and junction configurations, adapters, and latch features enhance user friendliness.

Heater control with high-limit thermal safety shutdown

A variety of power controller coupling assemblies are provided that include at least one power controller, at least one cable assembly coupled to the power controller, and a plurality of power loads coupled to the power controller and the cable assembly. Power is provided from the power controller to the power loads through the cable assembly in a configuration such that power is provided to each of the power loads if one or more of the power loads should become disconnected from the power controller coupling assembly. Additionally, various cable assemblies are provided that include a plurality of power cables connecting a plurality of connectors, each of the connectors defining a number of conductor positions for providing power from a power source to at least one power controller and to a plurality of power loads.

Power controller coupling assemblies and methods

A modular heater system is provided that includes a heat trace assembly and a connector assembly. The heat trace assembly has a heat trace section that defines a plurality of fins, an insulation jacket surrounding the heat trace section, and at least one terminating member disposed at an end of the heat trace section. The connector assembly has a shell, including a plurality of outer walls and inner walls defining cavities therebetween, and a fitting heater assembly that includes a fitting adapter, a heat trace section disposed around the fitting adapter, and an outer casing disposed around the fitting adapter.

Modular heater systems

Multiple heater control system with expandable modular functionality

A heat trace assembly is provided that includes a heat trace section, an insulation jacket surrounding the heat trace section, and a plurality of standoffs disposed between the heat trace section and the insulation jacket. A corresponding plurality of passageways are formed between the heat trace section and the insulation jacket and between the plurality of standoffs. The standoffs can be a part of the insulation jacket and/or the heat trace section, and the standoffs can furthermore be integrally formed with or separately attached to the insulation jacket and/or the heat trace section.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MO, United States of America

Shawn Leininger