Curing a coating; both sides aluminum piston

Objective

Curing a coating on both sides of an aluminum piston at a rate of 1” (25.4mm) per second 

End Product

Aluminum piston

Equipment

• Ambrell 50 kW induction heating system, equipped with a remote workhead containing three 26.8µF capacitors for a total of 80µF

• An induction heating coil designed and developed specifically for this application. 

Materials

4 aluminum pistons weighing 1lb (.45kg) each, 3.75” (95.25mm) dia and 2.5” (63.5mm) high 

Temperature

225 ºF (107.2 ºC)

Frequency

6 kHz

Testing

A three-turn channel coil 19” (48.26cm) long is used to anneal 4 pistons running though the coil with a distance of 6” (15.24cm) between centers. The parts run at a rate of 1” (25.4mm) per second and the 4 parts reach 225 ºF (107.2 ºC) and are annealed in 40 seconds. 

Benefits

• Hands-free heating that involves no operator skill for manufacturing

• Ideal for in-line production processes because of its ability to produce repeatable, rapid and accurate heating cycles

• Improved thoughput 

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