Induction heating is considered to be a growth sector for several good reasons. The technique is extremely fast, reproducible, reliable, energy efficient and has an unlimited range of possible applications.
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For instance, induction can be used on parts to heat, harden, braze, join, or even melt them. The inductor is a vital component in these processes. Its design plays a significant role in determining how precisely a part is heated. Thus, complex manufacturing processes are used to develop this central tool with precision to a tenth of a millimeter - a task perfectly suited to the experts at eldec, with facilities in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, and in Dornstetten, Germany. At these EMAG subsidiary units, technicians have a complete understanding of the various applications of induction heating. For more than three decades, they have been manufacturing inductors to match, which are adapted to the geometry of the workpiece with meticulous dimensional accuracy.
The word “precision” summarizes the crucial quality in induction heating in the best way possible. The technology is used in all places where an increased amount of heat or energy needs to be applied to a workpiece within a short time period. Temperature accuracy plays a crucial role here and is often process critical – and precise heating is only possible with the right mix of power, frequency, inductor geometry, and magnetic field characteristics. Additionally, the application of energy through induction guarantees economical energy consumption, minimal workpiece distortion and rapid production processes.
The process largely relies on the inductor and also on the generator used (as the power source), since the form of this tool plays a vital role in determining which areas of the workpiece are heated. As a result, it should not be surprising that the inductors used are as many and varied as the corresponding components or parts. For instance, eldec develops shaped inductors and ring inductors that enclose the part being heated with millimeter precision. Rod inductors are placed inside the part during the process, heating the metal from the inside out. Flat inductors are also commonly used, for instance, in induction brazing. They heat large areas of the part surface simultaneously and evenly.
In total, we produce up to 1,000 inductors every year – and the numbers are rising. The crucial quality that many customers put their trust in is the experience of our fitters and engineers. Inductor manufacture is a demanding process that can't be automated because it depends on so many highly precise details. When you're brazing or assembling the inductor, every move has to be right.
Stefan Tzschupke, Head of Business Development Generators, eldec
eldec's customers get benefits from the initial stage itself, for instance, when they present a part drawing or blank. A production process is then proposed by the application engineers at eldec who ask and answer the following questions:
Once these questions are answered, we begin designing the inductor with the aid of the latest 3D CAD software and CNC machine tools. We test the end result on the real part. If the quality of the manufactured part doesn't satisfy us 100 percent, we make changes and rework the inductor, on a milling center for example. In the case of highly complex inductors, like those used for induction hardening for instance, this can be a matter of a few tenths of a millimeter.
Stefan Tzschupke, Head of Business Development Generators, eldec
Currently, specialists at eldec are testing new simulation software that they use to check the working of a virtual inductor model on a computer. This application will soon be put into practical use.
"That will take us to the next level. The users will ultimately benefit from even faster processes in development and even more precise induction processes." Said Tzschupke.
The use of sintering to manufacture the coils is another innovation at eldec. This allows the production of remarkably complex inductor geometry.
The high degree of flexibility offered in inductor design and production is considered to be another important aspect of eldec's services. Customers needing a particular number of tools each year can sign an agreement with eldec to develop new inductors on a just-in-time basis. Users also have the option of developing additional inductors themselves. All in all, inductor manufacture is an extremely vital growth area for eldec. There are obvious reasons for this: First, an increasing number of companies in industries such as aerospace or automobile production are discovering the vast potential of induction heating. Increasingly complex parts are being annealed, hardened, or heated. Second, these developments highlight the need for specialized expertise in inductor manufacturing.
eldec is ideally positioned for these developments. We apply the knowledge gained from our experience to all aspects of the process, ensuring highly efficient and reliable production processes as a result.
Stefan Tzschupke, Head of Business Development Generators, eldec
The geometry of the inductors is as varied as the parts to be made with them. Ring or shaped inductors enclose the heated part with millimeter precision.
Another innovation at eldec is the use of sintering to manufacture the coils. This allows exceptionally complex inductor geometry to be produced.
Inductor manufacture is a demanding process that cannot be automated. When brazing or assembling the inductor, every move has to be right.
The company is the world’s best induction heat treat equipment supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
CAD workstation at eldec: the inductors are custom-designed on the computer.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Eldec Induction USA, Inc.
For more information on this source, please visit Eldec Induction USA, Inc.
Induction heating relies on the existence of eddy currents discovered by Léon Foucault in 1855. Briefly, when a changing magnetic field passes through any conductive object, current flow is induced in the object. That current flow creates a secondary electric field in the conductor. The secondary electric field, in turn, produces another flow of current which is known as the eddy current, so named because it flows in a circular pattern, much like water can swirl in a slow-moving stream when it encounters an obstacle. The push-pull between these fields—literally, the kinetic energy caused by electrons being shuttled back and forth—produces heat in the conductor.
This use of eddy currents can not only cook a meal; it can melt steel and other metals.
Induction heating is used to manufacture end items as diverse as bulldozers, spacecraft, faucets and sealing plastic lids on pharmaceutical bottles. The fundamental design of an induction heating device uses a coil of wire and an AC current to induce a changing magnetic field in the item to be heated—the work piece. The coil can measure only a few centimeters in diameter, or any other dimension suited to the job at hand.
The work piece is placed inside the magnetic field generated by the coil, but not in contact with it, then heated to the desired level by the eddy currents. Depending upon the material being heated, temperatures as high as 2,200° F (1,200° C) can be achieved.
Induction heating is clean, requiring no fossil fuels. Parts exposed to induction heating simply heat up, so there’s no cleanup afterward and no worry about contamination of the work piece. It’s also fast. For example, manufacturers of pipes and tubular channels use induction heating to weld a seam along the longitudinal dimension of pipes passing by at high speed on a conveyor.
A few other processes that use induction heating include:
The so-called Tylenol Murders took place in Chicago during 1982 when someone, never identified, laced Tylenol bottles with cyanide. The subsequent events led to a nationwide recall of Tylenol products. The poisoning also forced the entire over-the-counter pharmaceutical industry to package their products in tamper-proof containers.
The aluminum foil that’s commonly used to seal OTC drugs is part of the industry’s solution, and it uses induction heating. The process begins by placing the foil, which is electrically conductive, into the cap. The cap is screwed down, then the entire package is placed inside an induction heating coil. As the foil heats up, adhesives around its edge adhere it to the lip of the bottle.
Designers of induction cap sealing equipment must take several factors into account. The induction heater’s physical dimensions need to be tailored to the containers to be sealed. The electromagnetic field needs a depth suitable for heating the foil. The heating should take place as quickly as possible for productivity reasons. The efficiency of the induction heater needs to achieve a specific performance level.
These and other design constraints can be reduced dramatically when the wire used to make the coil is custom-manufactured. New England Wire Technology, a long-time supplier to the induction heating market, provides wire specially made to solve such design problems.
For instance, NEWT can supply round, square and rectangular conductors. Their exact size can be tailored specifically for the AC current and frequency to be used. And, because the efficiency can be optimized in the wire itself, the induction cap sealer design engineer has much greater flexibility in choosing the spacing, shape and size of the sealing head. In fact, that same flexibility benefits designers of any induction heating device.
Induction heaters can run on AC power ranging from a few Hertz to 500 kHz and higher. The frequency chosen determines the heat’s penetration depth, with lower frequencies penetrating deeper. Frequencies for induction heaters are chosen at design time according to the particular work to be accomplished. For instance, an application that calls for hardening and a deep penetration uses low frequency. Another application that calls only for surface heating would use high frequency.
Higher frequencies passing through a wire cause the skin effect where much of the current flow travels along the outside of the wire, increasing its AC resistance and creating unwanted heat. Using NEWT’s unique Litz wire to build the coil virtually eliminates the skin effect, making the coil more efficient and allowing for more modest, lower cost power supply designs. (Read more about Litz wire).
Because induction heating is used in so many applications, converting a customer’s design needs into a suitable Litz wire product involves many factors. According to NEWT engineers, “Almost every induction heating project takes on aspects of a custom job. While building wire and cable to customer specs seems simple, the number of variables that go into a solid design can be numerous.”
For instance, the wire size can be adjusted for the AC frequency to avoid skin effect and other losses in the coil. Then, the total number of conductors in the Litz wire can be chosen to accommodate the maximum current flow. Conductors that make up the Litz wire are insulated using a film that needs to accommodate certain temperatures. Case in point: an induction coil used to heat a large vat of steel has to work in a much hotter environment than one used to seal aspirin bottles. Likewise, the outer insulation needs to protect the high voltages often used, as well as environmental conditions.
The solution to these challenges lies in NEWT’s custom design service staff. That team, consisting of a knowledgeable sales staff supported by design and manufacturing engineers, has helped customers worldwide achieve the best solutions. Be sure to contact us to discuss your next induction heating project.
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