Vaporizers use one of two types of heating mechanisms that extract the active ingredients from the plant matter, converting them to vapor. To bring the best out of the cannabis plant, you want to control the temperature, thus controlling the amount of cannabinoids and terpenes released in the process.
The process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material, is referred to as conduction. Basically, this translates to the transfer of heat through a substance or solid. This means that conduction heating elements make direct contact with your chosen substance. In vaporizers, the heating source is traditionally placed at the bottom of a chamber and your product is loaded directly on top of the element.
Vaporizers that use conduction operate by placing dried cannabis flower or extracts directly onto an electronically heated surface, most often a solid metal or a screen. The “hot plate” is then heated to an ideal vaporization temperature, directing heat throughout the chamber and converting the cannabinoids and terpenes into vapor.
Convection was actually the primary means of vaporization in the early days of vaporizers, but it was inconsistent in the way it vaporized, and it often led to combustion of the materials. But advances in technology have allowed for greater precision and control with convection methods.
Convection is the transfer of thermal energy through a liquid or gas. In other more general words, convection ovens function by circulating hot air throughout the oven. When using a convection vape, heat surrounds and passes through your material. The heat source is isolated and does not make direct contact with your product.