An induction furnace is a method used to heat metals before deformation by heat induction. Induction heating equipment varies in capacities and the frequencies used can also vary between 50 cycles per second, which is known as mains frequency, and 10,000 cycles per second (high frequency).
Induction furnaces are excellent for melting, alloying and refining a range of metals including steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, and other precious metals. Unlike conventional forging furnaces, this one is very effective in that it uses less energy and time to melt while minimizing melt losses too.
Induction Furnace Manufacturers and Choosing the Right Metal Melting Furnace
If you’re switching to induction forging furnace or adding a more powerful furnace in your business, it pays to start by researching and evaluating different induction furnace manufacturers. This will help you find a reliable manufacturer who not only offers quality induction furnace but also advise you one the best options to consider for your specific business needs.
As a business owner, forging long term relationships with suppliers and manufacturers is key to growing your business. Also, look for a company that can extend help in the future should you develop a problem with your furnace.
Unlike traditional blast furnaces that use fuel combustion to heat and melt metals, induction furnaces are designed to use currents generated from electromagnetic action in the metal being heat. Many induction furnace manufacturers focus on producing quality furnaces that deliver good performance in various melting applications. There are two types of induction forging furnaces; core type and coreless induction furnaces.
For the core induction furnaces, there are three types including:
- Direct core induction furnace
- Indirect core induction furnace
- Vertical core induction furnace
Direct Core Induction Furnace
This is a low-frequency type of induction furnace and it features an iron core, a crucible inducing winding where the charge is stored. It forms a single-turn secondary winding and the current density is generally high.
Indirect Core Induction Furnace
This type of furnace largely depends on the principle of induction heating. Here, heat from an inductively heated element is transferred to the charge through radiation. An indirect core induction furnace has an iron core that links both primary and secondary winding, transmitting heat to the charge by radiation.
Vertical Core Induction Furnace
Compared to the types of induction furnaces mentioned above, vertical core induction furnace is a more advanced type of furnace in that instead of using a horizontal channel for the charge, it uses a vertical channel.
Coreless Induction Furnace
This is the second type of induction furnace after the core type induction furnace and it consists of three key parts, which are a primary coil, refractor container, and a flexible frame. The key difference with the coreless induction furnace is the lack of continuous iron path and significantly low amounts of refractory material. That’s why it has high-frequency currents to compensate for the low flux density. With this type of induction furnace, you can adequately control the power and the eddy currents automatically trigger the stirring action.
The coreless induction furnace is widely used as a metal melting furnace in the production of carbon-free ferrous alloys, such as carbon steel, cast iron, alloy steel, and wrought iron. Other applications include casting of alloys, metal refining, duplexing steel, and vacuum melting. Generally, the energy consumption when heating metals using a coreless induction furnace is between 600 to 1,000 kWh per tonnes of steel.
Common Types of Casting Metals Used in Induction Furnace
Induction furnaces are ideal for casting different types of metals such as copper, silver, gold, steel, and aluminum. Silver, gold and other precious metals are ideally smelted using an aluminum furnace while steel and copper are best used with a steel furnace. However, the quantities of each metal may affect the choice of a furnace. Induction furnace manufacturers are playing a big role in ensuring quality products are made using quality metal melting furnaces.
