Control device for an electric heating device and method for its production

The present invention relates to a control device for an electric heating device with a support element (48) and a bus bar (20) fastened thereto, which is electrically conductively connected to an SMD component (4), and aims to specify a control device with an improved electrical conductor path for the power current that can be manufactured economically, and thus also aims to specify a method for manufacturing such a control device. The bus bar of the control device according to the invention is part of an initially one-piece punched metal plate (8) with a severed web (14) that divides the metal plate (8) into a supply element (20) and a discharge element (26), which are electrically conductively connected to one another only via the SMD component (4). In the method according to the invention, the following steps are performed: - Manufacturing a punched metal plate (8) that forms at least one supply element region (20B) and a discharge element region (26B), which are connected to one another via at least one web (14); - Mounting an SMD component (4) on the supply element region (20B) to form a populated metal plate unit (2); - Fastening the populated metal plate unit (2) to a support element (48); - Severing the at least one web (14) so that a supply element (20) and a discharge element (26) are produced from the supply element region (20B) and the discharge element region (26B), which are electrically conductively connected to one another only via the SMD component (4).