Inductive heater for heat treating?

nfk · Oct 28, 2011

Hi,
After reading a bit about induction heaters i`ve start thinking about using one to heat treat small parts or tools.
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/projects/DIY_Devices/diy-induction-heater.htm

Any of you did anything like it to heat treat or know how safe it is?
I`ve also saw the same used to melting aluminium...
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ETQ34rXs0Q[/ame]
I believe it is cleaner and safer...but not sure...
I don`t want exploding things at home.
I`ll keep reading, it could be a nice shop addition if done right.

Cheers,
Norberto

lazylathe · Oct 28, 2011

We use induction casting machines at work.
They are very fast and cast without porosity.

You have to have a cool water supply circulating through the coils at all times.

I suppose it would work for heat treating but you would have to be very careful and
have an accurate way to measure the actual temperature of the item being treated.

Andrew

tattoomike68 · Oct 28, 2011

induction is a good deal, I worked at a foundry and we could melt about 32 tons an hour.

nfk · Oct 28, 2011

Hmm. so those things really exists then...
I`ll start working on one of this soon, i have most of the components on hand.
i`ll try to reach 3Kw, most of the machines i saw are of that power make stainless glow red hot in 30 seconds and can melt 200gm of aluminum without any hassle.
If melting aluminum, standard green sand castings apply? or other procedures are required?
Thanks to the puyene and hudson volcanos I have bentonite dust on my car`s hood to spare...great for casting, bad for the paint

Norberto

Herbiev · Oct 29, 2011

I love to dabble with electronics and that looks like a neat project. Does anyone have a circuit or direct me to one.
TIA
Herbie

JorgensenSteam · Oct 29, 2011

The problem seems to be that for a unit of any size, you need 3-phase power.
For small work, you could use a single-phase unit at the home, but for casting metal, you really need the 3-phase unit.

In the US, it will set a demand charge on your utility bill, and you may pay that demand charge for many months whether you use the heater or not.