We take them for granted, but Hairdryers and Straighteners have become an integral part of life in the 21st century. Behind their everyday use are electronic components we know little of and maybe care less about, but they are incredibly important.
A hairdryer is put together from a series of electronic components that include the fan blade, electrical motor, switching mechanisms and copper wiring. These are all housed in a plastic outer shell which resembles a light weight, durable gun! A hairdryer produced heat just like a toaster. It passes an electric current through a wire which has a high level of electrical resistance. This causes it to generate heat. The electronic heating element component is made of nichrome and will not rust at high temperatures. When the hairdryer heats up, it mustn’t get so hot that it burns the plastic housing. To solve this, an electronic component was introduced to work as a “temperature cut off switch” to stop the coil from getting too hot.
Hair Straighteners are dominated by a Ceramic heater which is manufactured to heat to a temperature above 1600°C printed within its ceramic sheet. This is just one of many electrical components and is extremely fast and powerful and can raise a temperature from nil to 800°C within 30 seconds. The Hair Straighteners usually include an LED Indicator, an adjustable temperature control, a fast heat up time and safety shut off. The integrated circuits are usually simple, low in price and well suited to their task of heating and temperature control.
