a heating element for a plastic film laminator has a cylindrical base member . a heating layer of conductive resin such as conductive silicone is molded to the base member . an outer layer of dielectric material may cover the heating layer . resistive electrical contacts are connected to the heating layer . an electrical power supply is connectable to the contacts . the resistive contacts create a voltage drop within the contact along the axis of current flow . this lowers the current density at the interfaces of the contacts and heating layer to prevent localized overheating of the conductive resin .