The present disclosure provides a flexible workpiece pedestal capable of tilting a workpiece support surface. The workpiece pedestal further includes a heater mounted on the workpiece support surface. The heater includes a plurality of heating sources such as heating coils. The plurality of heating sources in the heater allows heating the workpiece at different temperatures for different zones of the workpiece. For example, the workpiece can have a central zone heated by a first heating coil, a first outer ring zone that is outside of the central zone heated by a second heating coil, a second outer ring zone that is outside of the first outer ring zone heated by a third heating coil. By using the tunable heating feature and the tilting feature of the workpiece pedestal, the present disclosure can reduce or eliminate the shadowing effect problem of the related workpiece pedestal in the art.

A heater comprises a plurality of zones with at least two zones having a variable power density gradient different from one another. The heater having zones of different variable power density gradients allows for controlling the heat output and temperature profile of the heater in one or more directions of the heater. The heater can be used, for example, to control the temperature profile in a vertical direction.

A window heater for a vehicular camera or the like provides for a first heating element surrounding the field-of-view of the camera and a second heater element winding through the field-of-view of the camera to optimize heat delivery to the windshield without obstructing the camera's field-of-view.

One general aspect includes a system having one or more heat pads installed at a vehicle, the one or more heat pads configured to provide infrared energy transmissions to a vehicle component to defrost, defog, or both defrost and defog a surface of the vehicle component. The system may also carry out the following steps: (a) determining that ice or fog or both ice and fog has accumulated on the surface of the vehicle component; and (b) based on the determination made in step (a), activating the one or more heat pads to defrost, defog, or both defrost and defog a surface of the vehicle component.

A wafer heater assembly comprises a heater substrate and a non-porous outermost layer. The heater substrate comprises silicon nitride (Si.sub.3N.sub.4) and includes at least one heating element embedded therein. The non-porous outermost layer is associated with at least a first surface of the heater substrate. The non-porous outermost layer comprises a rare-earth (RE) disilicate (RE.sub.2Si.sub.2O.sub.7); where RE is one of Yb and Y. The non-porous outermost layer includes an exposed surface configured to contact a wafer for heating, the exposed surface opposite the first surface of the heater substrate. Methods of making wafer heater assemblies are also disclosed as well as methods of using the wafer heater assembly.

There is provided a technique that includes: a heat generator installed for each of control zones and configured to raise an internal temperature of a reaction tube by heat generation; a circuit configured to equalize resistance values in the respective control zones, wherein the circuit is a parallel circuit and is configured such that an output variable element is installed in one or more of output circuits constituting the parallel circuit.

The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for assembling cartridges for aerosol delivery devices. The cartridges may be assembled by transporting carriages between various substations at which parts are added to a base. In another assembly method, the base may be moved between a plurality of robots which direct the base downwardly into contact with components to couple the components therewith. An inspection system may inspect the cartridges at various stages of completion.

Laminar heaters having a laminar heating element with a pair of electrically conductive busbars connected to opposite ends of the heating element and a plurality of areas. The heater has a first electrical resistance in a first area and a second electrical resistance in a second area. At least one of the first area or the second area comprises a plurality of perforations, and the difference between the first electrical resistance and the second electrical resistance arises from a difference in a perforation characteristic of the first portion relative to the second portion. A plurality of heaters or heating elements may be connected together in a system for heating a surface.

An electric heater includes a substrate; a first plane heating element disposed on a surface of the substrate; and a second plane heating element disposed on the surface of the substrate so as to be located outside the first plane heating element. The first plane heating element includes a first pattern portion having a start point and an end point, and a pair of first electrode portions connected to the first pattern portion. The second plane heating element includes a second pattern portion that surrounds a portion of an outer circumference of the first pattern portion, has a start point and an end point, and has an opening portion at one side thereof; and a pair of second electrode portions connected to the second pattern portion.

A method for joining primary and secondary members includes providing a primary member, a secondary member and a heating element which is joined to one of the primary and secondary members. The heating element includes an electrically insulating matrix material and an electrically conductive reinforcing element extending through the matrix material. The method further includes bringing the other of the primary and secondary members and the heating element into engagement and controlling a flow of electrical current in the reinforcing element so as to resistively heat and fuse at least some of the matrix material of the heating element with a matrix material of the other of the primary and secondary members. The method may be used to join a primary member such as a composite tubular and a secondary member such as a component for terminating the composite tubular.