An ultra low cost heat source from readily available materials for laboratory and therapeutic applications

TL;DR

This paper presents a simple, low-cost heater made from common materials like paper and pencil, suitable for medical and laboratory applications in resource-limited settings.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, easy-to-fabricate heater using readily available materials, addressing healthcare needs in underdeveloped regions.

Findings

Maximum temperature of 140°C achieved

Heater is inexpensive and easy to produce

Suitable for laboratory and therapeutic uses

Abstract

In most of the under developed nations, access to basic health care is scarce. A heater is an indispensable device for many applications, especially for medical purposes. As such a simple and easy to make heater from readily available materials becomes a valuable equipment to help alleviate the human health problems. An ultra low cost heater from readily available materials like paper/cellulose acetate sheet and a pencil was designed and fabricated. Manually, using high graphite contained pencil; paper/cellulose surface was arbitrarily coated by applying numerous pencil strokes on the surface. Contacts were connected using either a wire or Copper/Aluminum foils over the coated surface. Maximum temperature attended by the heater was around 140 degree celcius. The main application of this heater was explored in the laboratory and therapeutic uses.