Heating element coil support

An insulating support for a helical wire heating coil comprising:

• a generally rectangular body of insulating material having relatively thin outer edge portions between generally flat front and rear faces;
• a plurality of coil support notches formed in at least one of said outer edge portions, each of said notches adapted to receive approximately a single turn of the coil with a portion of the coil turn disposed adjacent said front and rear faces and with the axis of the coil extending perpendicular to said faces;
• each of said notches including an interior portion having a major dimension larger than the outside diameter of the coil, a coil entry slot including a pair of spaced shoulders defining said notch opening, said slot having a length along said outer edge portion and between said shoulders smaller than the outside diameter of the coil;
• a first entry ramp on each of said shoulders, said first entry ramp including a narrow outer edge and a pair of inwardly divergent first ramp surfaces;
• an outer coil abutment shoulder on the inside of each spaced shoulder;
• support means centrally disposed in the bottom of each notch, said support means including an intermediate coil support edge adjacent said coil entry slot and said outer abutment shoulders;
• said support means including a pair of second ramp surfaces inwardly divergent from said coil support edge, said second ramp surfaces extending along said front and rear faces of said body and terminating in inner edges spaced therefrom;
• and,
• a pair of inner abutment shoulders defined by the inner edges of said second ramp surfaces and said front and rear faces.

An insulating support apparatus for a helical wire heating coil comprising:

• a plurality of insulator bodies, each having a generally rectangular shape and including relatively thin outer edge portions and generally flat opposite faces;
• a pair of coil support notches formed in at least one outer edge portion of each insulator body, each of said notches adapted to receive approximately a single turn of the coil with a portion of the coil turn positioned adjacent the flat opposite faces of the body and with the axis of the coil extending perpendicular to said faces;
• said insulator bodies positioned in spaced parallel relation along the coil with similarly positioned notches in each body aligned on the coil axis;
• each of said notches including a coil entry slot having an opening in the outer edge smaller than the outer diameter of the coil and an interior having a major dimension larger than the outside diameter of the coil;
• and,
• each of said notches further including ramp means for axially opening said coil turn in response to lateral movement of the coil into said notch while the coil axis is maintained generally perpendicular to said faces, and abutment means for engaging diametrically opposite inner and outer portions of said coil turn and locking the coil in said notch.