How Does a Vape Cartridge Work?
A vape cartridge works by soaking cannabis oil into a heating core at the bottom of the tank and warming it to roughly 180 to 220°C when you draw. The battery sends current through a coil, the oil around it turns to vapour, and air pulled through the base carries that vapour up the center post and out the mouthpiece. No combustion, no smoke. The oil never gets hot enough to burn unless something has gone wrong.
The parts and what each one does
Five parts, bottom to top.
510 base. The threaded metal contact that screws into the battery. The center pin is positive and the outer thread is negative. Air comes in through small holes just above the thread.
Heating element. Either a ceramic core (a porous ceramic cylinder with a coil embedded inside) or a cotton wick wrapped around a coil. Oil seeps in through intake holes on the side, the coil heats it, and vapour forms in the center.
Center post. A metal tube running from the heating element up to the mouthpiece. Vapour travels up it. Nothing else should be in it; if oil gets in, the cart is clogged.
Tank. Glass or polycarbonate, holding 0.5ml, 1ml or 2ml of oil around the center post. The oil sits at the bottom and feeds the intake holes by gravity, which is why carts are stored upright.
Mouthpiece. Ceramic, metal or plastic. Narrows the airpath slightly to create draw resistance.
What happens when you take a draw
1. On a draw-activated battery, a pressure sensor detects you inhaling and turns the battery on. On a button battery, you press and hold.
2. Current runs through the coil. A typical cart coil is 1.2 to 1.6 ohms, so at 3.2V it's drawing about 2 to 2.7 amps and producing 6 to 8 watts of heat.
3. The oil that has soaked into the ceramic or cotton around the coil vaporises. Distillate thins as it warms, so more oil wicks in to replace what just vaporised.
4. Air enters through the base holes, passes the coil, picks up the vapour, and travels up the center post.
5. You stop drawing, the battery cuts off, and the coil cools within a second or two.
The whole cycle is about three seconds. Most batteries have a cutoff at 8 to 10 seconds so a stuck sensor can't cook the coil.
Ceramic core versus cotton wick
The heating element is the biggest difference between a good cart and a cheap one.
A ceramic core is porous ceramic with the coil sintered inside it. It holds oil evenly, heats evenly, and tolerates running slightly dry without scorching. Nearly all licensed carts use one now.
A cotton wick is cotton wrapped around an exposed coil. It's cheaper and gives a big first hit, but if the oil level drops below the intake or the voltage is too high, the cotton burns and the cart tastes scorched for the rest of its life.
Ceramic costs more per unit and is slower to warm. That's the trade.
Why voltage matters
The battery decides how hot the coil gets. Most ceramic carts are built for 2.8V to 3.4V. Below that the oil doesn't vaporise fully and the hit is thin. Above about 3.6V you start cooking the terpenes, which is why a high setting tastes harsh even on a fresh cart.
Thicker oil (live resin, rosin, cold distillate) needs a bit more heat to flow, which is what the preheat button on many batteries is for: a 10 to 15 second low-power warm-up before the first draw.
Why carts clog, and how to fix it
Carts clog when oil ends up in the center post or mouthpiece instead of the heating element. Four causes:
Thick oil that didn't vaporise fully condensed in the post on the way up. Common in cold weather.
The cart was stored on its side or upside down and oil ran into the post.
The intake holes are flooded because the cart was drawn on too hard, pulling oil past the coil.
Old oil has thickened with oxidation and can't wick.
To clear it: warm the cart in your hands or with a hair dryer on low for 30 seconds, then take a few gentle draws with the battery off to pull the oil back down. A paperclip in the mouthpiece clears the last bit. Don't use a lighter; it cracks the glass and cooks the oil.
Why carts leak
Oil on the thread or in the battery well means it got past the seal at the base. That happens when the cart is left on a battery that fires accidentally, when a thin oil sits in a hot car and expands, or when a cheap cart's O-ring has failed. Store carts upright, off the battery, at room temperature.
If you're the one making them
A cart's behaviour comes down to matching four things: oil viscosity, intake hole size, coil resistance and the voltage range you tell customers to use. Get those aligned and the cart hits consistently for its whole life. Get them wrong and you'll see clogs and burnt returns. We build custom vape cartridges to your oil spec, with the boxes they sell in, from 5,000 units. If you're new to the format, start with what a 510 cartridge is and how long vape cartridges last.
Quick answers
How does a vape cart heat the oil? A coil inside a ceramic core or cotton wick warms to around 200°C when the battery sends power, and the oil soaked into it turns to vapour.
Does a vape cart burn the oil? No. It vaporises at 180 to 220°C, well below combustion. Burnt taste means the wick ran dry or the voltage was too high.
Why is my cart clogged? Oil has condensed in the center post. Warm it in your hands and take slow draws with the battery off.
What voltage should a cart be on? 2.8V to 3.4V for most ceramic carts. Lower for thin oil, higher for thick.
How long does a draw take? About three seconds. Batteries cut off after 8 to 10 seconds to protect the coil.
