Induction heating (IH) is a particular process which uses electromagnetic fields for heating conductive materials (steel, copper, brass, aluminium...).
The main difference from a traditional heating process is the location of heat sources which are distributed inside the work-piece. For this reason the IH process is very fast and controllable. Depending on the frequency used the heating can be superficial (induction surface hardening) or deep in the piece (forging, heat treatment, etc.).
Induction is a versatile technology used for many different heating processes that require reliable, fast and efficient productivity.
We define Induction as fast since it generates heat directly into the work-piece with no need to waste time for conduction and system thermal inertia. This means increasing efficiency and improving throughput by reducing process times.
This heating process involves parameters like power, frequency and heating time that allow repeatability and accuracy in every step of the process.
The right mix of frequency, power and inductor’s geometry can be designed to heat just a specific part of your work-piece in a fully automated, stable and software controlled way.
This means obtaining the perfect thermal profile, the desired hardening or the right relieving, quality and repeatability. Induction heating can be applied to parts with different shapes and sizes ranging from few millimeters to substantial diameters and thicknesses depending on final application. Another advantage of this technology is the way to increase primary energy saving and hence reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Moreover compared to other thermo-chemical treatment, induction technology is clean and safe both for people and environment.
There are a lot of applications where IH is used in different industries: melting of metals, heat treatments (hardening, tempering, annealing), forging, hot rolling, surface hardening, cold crucible melting, welding, pre-heating, dry-coating, special applications. All these applications get benefits from the suitable characteristics of this technology.
