Heaters and heating equipment are used to heat homes and keep people comfortable, but they have a place in the industrial sector of society as well. Heaters have a variety of purposes in industry; not only do they provide warmth for the employees of the business, but they are essential for applications such as drying, curing, or melting raw materials in order to manufacture a product, among other things. There are several different types of heaters, each with different applications; here are some of the different types of heaters and how they work.

One type of industrial heater is called a bolt heater, which is used for heating metal studs or bolts during the manufacturing of hydraulic or steam equipment and turbines. High heat causes the metal bolts to expand, which, in turn, reduces stress on the bolts when being tightened or loosened.

An industrial heater that is most often used for heating liquids or gasses is called an immersion heater. This type of heater, rather than being a freestanding machine, is relatively small piece of equipment that is placed inside of the container that holds the liquid or gas. There are three types of immersion heaters-over-the-side, screw-plug, and flanged; the type needed depends on the being heated.

Infrared electric heaters, though most often used in homes, are used in industry as well. These types of heaters are often used on loading docks, warehouses, and garages; the heat that they provide is absorbed by the body, as opposed to warming the air.