The basic working principle of an electric heating plate is based on the electrothermal effect, converting electrical energy into heat energy. Heat is generated when an electric current passes through a heating material (such as heating alloy wire, carbon crystal, or carbon fiber). This heat is conducted through an insulating layer (such as mica) to an outer shell (such as stainless steel or ceramic), thus heating the object placed on it.
Some electric heating plates using novel heating materials (such as carbon crystal or carbon fiber) can achieve an electrothermal conversion efficiency of over 98%.