What You Need to Know About Induction Melting, Heating, and Welding

Induction melting is an involved process to understand. In induction melting, frequencies range from 50 cycles per second, which is referred to as mains frequency, and 10,000 cycles per second, referred to as high frequency.

You may be wondering whether your induction furnace needs replacement parts. If you believe you need replacement parts for your steel melting induction furnace, you may want to learn more about induction. Here are the basics.

What is Induction?

The process of induction begins with a coil made of copper or another metal that conducts electricity. When an electric current passes through the coil, the result is an electromagnetic field inside the coil and in the area surrounding it. The design of the coil and the amount of electric current used determine what kinds of work the electromagnetic field can do.

Induction Melting

In numerous processes, the initial step in making a usable product is melting. Induction melting is prized for its speed and efficiency. When the geometry of the induction coil is altered, steel melting induction furnaces can contain charges as small as the capacity of a coffee mug and as large as hundreds of tons of melted metal. In addition, when power and frequency are changed, induction equipment can process most materials and metals, such as iron, aluminum, silicon, steel and its alloys, and copper and its alloys. The equipment is adjusted for individual uses for maximum efficiency.

Induction melting offers a huge plus: inductive stirring. Electricity from an electromagnetic field melts the metal in an induction furnace. Once the metal has melted, the electromagnetic field creates constant motion in the bath, a process referred to as inductive stirring. The bath is then mixed, creating a homogeneous blend that helps with the alloying process. The furnace’s size, the power directed to the metal, the electromagnetic frequency, and the kind and amount of metal dictate the stirring amount. In any particular furnace, the stirring amount can be adjusted per the requirements of certain applications.

Induction Vacuum Melting

Due to the fact that induction heating involves an electromagnetic field, the workload can be separated from the induction coil by a medium that does not conduct electricity, such as refractory. The electromagnetic field goes through the medium to bring about a voltage in the workload. Because of this, the workload or piece may undergo vacuum heating or heating in a highly controlled atmosphere, and reactive metals, graphite, silicon, and alloys can be processed.

Induction Heating

Certain combustion techniques cannot be adequately controlled. By contrast, exact control can be obtained through induction heating, no matter the size of the batch. When changes are made to the frequency, voltage, and current in the induction coil, the heating may then be fine-tuned, which is ideally suited to precise tasks such as case hardening, annealing, tempering, and other heat treatments. Such control is important to crucial applications, including automotive, fiber optics, aerospace, ammunition bonding, and others.

Induction heating is appropriate for particular applications that use titanium, advanced composites, and precious metals. It offers unparalleled heating control. In addition, because it employs the same heating basics as those used in vacuum crucible heating tasks, induction heating may operate with atmosphere in the case of continuous applications.

High Frequency Induction Welding

Welding can be done if induction is brought by high frequency (HF) electric current. HF current allows for extremely shallow electric depths. Under this process, a metal strip may be created without interruption and goes through an induction coil. Electric current travels down the V-shape of the strip’s edges, rather than simply coalescing around the outer channel. The current heats the strip’s edges to a temperature that is lower than the metal’s melting temperature. This will allow the edges to be welded. Finally, the strip goes through an exactingly engineered series of rolls that weld the edges. Once the metal edges meet, impurities are pushed out, bringing about a solid state forge weld.

If you think you need replacement parts for your steel melting induction furnace or a similar product, it’s good to know the basics of the induction process and induction melting, heating, and welding. Contact our team today to learn more about the functioning of your induction furnace and about the replacement parts you may need.

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