Hello all,
hope your all keeping well during this time.
i have a heat press made by ukpress, model hp380 and i think that it may have been modified.
i bought it second hand, broken for cheap and want to repair it. i bought a replacement contactor off internet site and it matches the one that came exploded. the spec of the heat press is 2kw, 15 amps, 220volts
the contactor is a 12 amp 220volt. the model i think had a smaller heat press surface area originally, and i think that it has been upgraded by the owner to a bigger surface area. usually 38 x 38 and now 60 x 40 surface area. i am not sure if this increase required extra current to reach temperature and blew the contactor?
i am not sure how to go about checking the current for this surface area and if that has blown the contactor. i would assume that the previous owner had to be pushing it to go past 12 amps?

 

You preferably need a 'Definite Purpose' rated contactor, these are typically used in high inrush, high current usages such as HVAC, Plasma Machines for e.g.
By 'Exploded', do you mean the contacts were burnt off?
Can you power the press with direct power and measure the current with a clamp-on meter etc?
Max.