induction heating steel casting

induction heating steel casting of rubber mold with high frequency induction heater Objective To preheat two irregularly shaped steel castings to be molded and bonded with synthetic rubber Material Two steel castings, 17 lb. irregularly shaped, approximately 6” (152mm) x 9” (229mm) x 1” (25.4mm) Temperature 400 ºF (204 ºC) Frequency 20 kHz Equipment • DW-MF-45kW induction heating system, equipped with a remote workhead containing four 1.0 μF capacitors (for a total of 1.0 μF). • An induction heating coil designed and developed specifically for this application. Process Two steel castings are placed onto an insulated plate with brass guide location pins. The plate is placed onto a table which slides into a large multi-turn helical coil. The parts are induction heated to 400 ºF in 180 seconds. The slow heating time allows the parts to come up to temperature evenly. When the heating cycle is completed each part is placed into a press for the molding and bonding operation. Results/Benefits Induction heating for bulk preheating of steel castings produces: • efficient and repeatable heat vs. a torch or an oven. • even heating of parts throughout Large multi-turn coils provide: • easy loading and unloading of the parts • flexibility for varying bulk castings sizes and geometries