Thin plate heating elements for micro-vaporizers

A vaporizer heating element comprising:

• a heating element body formed from a single planar sheet of electrically conductive material having a constant sheet thickness, the heating element body comprising:
• a peripheral conduction portion comprising spaced apart positive and negative support arms, the positive support arm having an interior edge and an exterior edge opposite the interior edge of the positive support arm, the negative support arm having an interior edge and an exterior edge opposite the interior edge of the negative support arm, at least a portion of the interior edge of the positive support arm being parallel to at least a portion of the interior edge of the negative support arm;
• a central heating portion comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel heating strips that are thinner than the positive and negative support arms, spaces between said heating strips defining first flow channels through the heating element body, the central heating portion being intermediate, but spaced apart from the interior edge of the positive support arm and the interior edge of the negative support arm so that there is a gap between the wider positive support arm and a first one of the thinner heating strips and there is a gap between the wider negative support arm and a second one of the thinner heating strips;
• a first bridge strip connecting the positive support arm to the central heating portion;
• a second bridge strip connecting the negative support arm to the central heating portion;
• a first plurality of peripheral support tabs extending from the exterior edge of the positive support arm in a first direction;
• a second plurality of peripheral support tabs extending from the exterior edge of the negative support arm in a second direction opposite the first direction;
• and
• a plurality of central support tabs extending from the central heating portion,
• wherein the positive support arm and the negative support arm are on opposite sides of a longitudinal body axis that bisects the vaporizer heating element,
• wherein a portion of the exterior surface of the positive support arm from which the first plurality of peripheral support tabs extend is the portion of the exterior surface of the positive support arm that is furthest from the longitudinal body axis, and
• wherein a portion of the exterior surface of the negative support arm from which the second plurality of peripheral support tabs extend is the portion of the exterior surface of the negative support arm that is furthest from the longitudinal body axis.