Objective: A customer from the Manufacturing and Automation industry is looking for an induction system and wants to implement an induction shrink fitting process. We have to shrink fit together a stainless end cap to the aluminum pump housing.
The objective of this application test is to test the feasibility of induction shrink fitting with these materials. The client is looking for a consistent and reliable heating process and wants us to confirm the key process requirements – a heat cycle must be 10-20 seconds and a temperature 127°C (260°F).
Industry: Manufacturing & Automation
Equipment: The equipment we used for this test is UltraHeat SM – 5 kW Power Supplies.
Process: The size of a stainless steel cap is 6.3’’ (16 cm) OD and we used a two-turn induction coil. During the application test, we were expanding the steel plate to fit over the aluminum housing, and steel needs a bit higher temperature to expand.
The steel end cap was heated for 10 seconds with 5 kW of power and reached a temperature of approximately 600°C (1112°F). After the heat cycle, the cap was picked up and placed onto the motor housing in which slipped on a bit better due to expansion of the major OD. The edges of the steel end cap were overheated a little and can be fixed by proper fixturing and coil design.
Benefits: With this test, we proved the feasibility of the process. The recommendation is the shrink fit joint tolerances should be looked at. The process can be improved with a specially designed inductor for these parts.
The benefits of using induction heating for the shrink fitting process are a lot – faster heat cycle, which leads to less energy use and increased productivity. Also, the process could be automated in the future if needed.
Reference Info: Application Note 3463-7033
Read more about other shrink fitting applications.
To request more information about this Application note, please contact us.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Video