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A chiller removes heat to hold a cold setpoint. A temperature control unit (TCU) does the opposite job on the same production floor: it circulates water or oil through a mold, die or process jacket and adds or trims heat to hold a warm or hot setpoint, often well above ambient. The two are frequently specified together on one line - an Advantage chiller cooling the part, a TCU holding the mold or die at temperature - and neither substitutes for the other.
Advantage's TCU lineup covers water circulating units up to 250°F and 300°F for standard mold and process heating, and hot-oil units up to 500°F for processes that exceed what water can handle under normal pressure. Where a process needs more than one setpoint at once, each heated zone gets its own unit and the chilled zones come from a dual-zone chiller on MZC control.
| Series | Max Fluid Temp | Flow |
| Up to 250°F (VE, G, Temptender) | 250°F | 35-100 GPM |
| Up to 300°F (G300, T300) | 300°F | 35-100 GPM |
| Hot Oil (Regal) | 500°F | 30-100 GPM |
| Multi-Zone (one unit per heated zone) | Set per zone, to 500°F | 30-100 GPM per zone |
TCU SERIES
Which Series Is Right?
Water circulation is the simpler, lower-cost path and covers most hot-runner injection molding, laminating and die-preheat work up to 250°F, with the 300°F series available when a standard unit isn't hot enough. Once the process needs to run hotter than water can reliably hold under normal pressure, a hot-oil unit takes over - oil doesn't flash to steam the way water does as temperature climbs, so it's the correct fluid path above roughly 300°F rather than pushing a water unit past its design range.
If a single mold or process has more than one zone that needs a different setpoint at the same time - a multi-cavity mold, or a line with both a heating zone and a cooling zone - each heated zone takes its own TCU and the chilled side can come from a dual-zone OACS chiller on Advantage MZC control. Tell us the required fluid temperature, flow rate, and number of independent zones and we'll match an Advantage TCU series to each one.
What Sizes A TCU
Fluid
Water Or Oil
Set By The Ceiling
Water is simpler and lower cost but tops out around 300°F under normal pressure. Above that, oil is the correct fluid because it stays liquid and stable at temperatures where water would flash to steam.
Setpoint
Up To 500°F
With Margin, Not At The Limit
Pick a series with headroom above the actual required setpoint rather than a unit that runs continuously at its rated ceiling - running near the limit is harder on seals and pump life than running comfortably below it.
Flow
30-100 GPM
Matched To The Jacket
Flow rate is set by the mold, die or jacket's own circuit design, not just the frame size of the TCU - the wrong flow rate undermines temperature uniformity across the tool even with an otherwise correctly sized unit.
Zones
Single Or Multi
One Setpoint Per Unit
A multi-cavity mold or a combined heat/cool process step needs more than one independently controlled temperature at once - count the setpoints first, then give each heated zone a TCU of its own.
Sizing A Temperature Control Unit
Required setpoint decides fluid type first - water through 300°F, hot oil above it. Flow rate then follows from the mold, die or jacket circuit's own design, not from the TCU frame alone. Where a process needs more than one independently controlled temperature at once, factor zone count in before selecting a series rather than sizing a single-zone unit and adding a second one later.
Because seal and pump construction differ between water and oil service, confirm fluid type before finalizing flow rate and connections - the two aren't interchangeable on the same frame.
Send Us
- Required fluid setpoint
- Required flow rate (GPM)
- Water or oil service preference
- Number of independently controlled zones needed
DIG DEEPER BY SERIES
Up to 250°F
VE, G and Temptender water-circulating series for standard mold and process heating.
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Up to 300°F
G300 and T300 series for processes that need more headroom than a 250°F unit.
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Hot Oil Units
Regal Series oil-circulating units, 100°F to 500°F, for processes beyond water's range.
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Multi-Zone Units
MZC dual-zone chillers and zoned TCUs for processes that hold two setpoints at once.
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