Induction Heating in Fasteners Industry

fasteners industry 1

The most common industrial fastener materials include three major groups of steel – carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloy steel. Aluminum, titanium, and various (nickel, brass, etc.) alloys are also used for the manufacturing of metal fasteners. Different types of coatings (including chrome, zinc, hot-dip galvanizing, etc.) are often applied as well.

Apart from the heat treatment operations throughout the manufacturing process, induction heating can also be used for non-destructive testing of the produced fasteners. When a workpiece is placed inside the induction coil, the applied electromagnetic field generates eddy currents into the conductive material. These eddy currents can be used for the detection of surface cracks or revealing of defects. which allows rejection of the damaged fastener right at the manufacturing conveyor line output.

How Induction Heating is used in the Fasteners Industry?

  • Heat treatment – through hardening, surface hardening or tempering
  • Quality control – cracks detection and testing
  • Induction curing of surface coatings or fastener marking
  • Forging and forming of fastener heads also known as hot heading
  • Forming of fastener threads also known as thread rolling
  • Powder coating and curing of fasteners