Preheating Steel and Stainless-Steel strips

Application Objectives:

Are you looking to replace your gas and oil heating furnace with a highly energy efficient induction system?  

As demonstrated in this application, induction systems can replace gas furnaces for preheating steel and stainless steel for a large electrical components manufacturer. Ultraflex Power technology was engaged with developing a continuous process and keeping the main target: to preheat the steel strips to the specified temperature without the strips losing their magnetic properties prior to the coating session. The task was not easy, but for sure it was feasible within the right process of evaluation and tests. Here is our provided solution. 

Industry: Manufacturing and Metal Processing 

Equipment: 

• Power Supply Model: SOLO-32 

• Heat Station Model: HS-24 

• Test Coil: 1ASM-9100-5689-00, 1ASM-9100-5861-003 

• Additional Equipment: Thermocouple 

Materials: Three types of Steel and Stainless-steel Strips 

• 1.15” wide x .05” thick 

• 1.08” wide x .03” thick 

• 0.57” wide x .04” thick 

Key Parameters: 

• Max Temperature: 266°F 

• Heat Cycle: Continuous 

• Productivity rate: 10-15 m/min 

• Temperature tolerances, uniformity, or max surface T° requirements 

A series of tests were conducted to determine the optimal heating process for steel strips, resulting in a recommendation to use a specific power unit for efficiency and quality 

Results and Conclusions: Based on the tests conducted on both the thin and wide stainless-steel strips, it is recommended to use a SOLO-12. The process will be integrated into the continuous inline of the customer.  

Reference: App Note AR 3463-7983 

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