Making High Power Resistors using Stainless Steel

[ha9981]

Currently I am assisting with trying to stock materials for resistors for air-core reactors. These are made using Stainless Steel strips. Presently the material is custom ordered for a certain width and thickness. There are 6 discrete thicknesses we choose from but the width varies largely as you can get it cut however you like. I need to help in making a decision to stock the material to help reduce lead times. Now making a choice is hard.

Factors here are:
Surface Area (thickness and width)
Length (can be cut to any size)

I began to look at it as a Surface Area problem. And quickly realized that another factor is that the in stock material should be able to provide a high energy rating as that is compatible with lower energy ones.

Anybody have a unique idea how to approach such a problem. Is there an easier way to be able to stock minimum material and have a method to adjust resistance. The only other option that came to my mind is having multiple strips that can be combined to have a wide variation as putting them in parallel increases the surface area.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Have you got production volumes that can justify some tooling?

E.g. if the typical strip length is 8 feet or less, you could stock sheets and use a heavy duty sheet metal shear to cut them to width. You might also need a sheet edge chamfer mill to take the burrs off the cut edges, and maybe a roll straightener to take out any twist.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ScottyUK]

Have a look at how Cressall make theirs. They are masters of the art. Unless you are making serious volumes you might be better off buying them.

http://www.cressall.com