Induction forge-
I've had a number of people ask me about this machine so I thought I would add some insights here.
I recently purchased a Induction forge with the idea it would help make it tolerable forging in the hot summer months. Now that I've have the machine up and running for a few months I can safely say it's a awesome bit of kit. I can heat a 1/2" round from cold to forge welding throwing off sparks hot in less than 30 seconds. I've heated 1.5" hammer blanks in about a minute so the machine is really quick to heat. The beauty of it is I can keep the shop doors shut and not have to worry about the fumes or the heat from the forge heating the shop up. I can also take my time and forge at my own pace. Another bonus is cost, It cost something to run but dang if I could see a difference in our monthly bill. I don't have to have the forge running all day costing $. I would say the cost is negligible unless you are full time blacksmith running the machine all day long.
Drawbacks-
Where it doesn't work is for long heats. I can heat about a 6-8" section of a bar but thats about the maximum. I have a couple of different coils for different size stock I have a 1.25" and a 2.25" coil Plus a 2" vertical coil that came with the machine. Another pain all the fittings are metric. I need to source 14mm brass compression fittings to make more coils. The copper pipe is metric too but I believe 5/16" copper would work. Anyone knows of a source in the states please let me know. Every place I've gone locally they act like I'm asking for some sort of nasa part. So in the end I still need my other forges for larger / longer heats and stock that won't fit in the Induction forge. Also If I need to soak a piece of steel It can be done with the induction forge but figuring out just the perfect setting is going to be guesswork (for me) I can only imagine it's easier with the gas forge.
TY-induction supply professional and honest service.
Setup-
I originally thought this was going to be a simple hand over the cash plug and play setup but I encountered several hurdles along the way. I though I would share how I went about setting up the machine and hopefully it will help others who want to try induction forging. First I did some research and found Eric Jergensen on youtube. He has some really great videos on induction forging but he never really got into the water chiller which is the part I had the most problems with. Check out his videos here- youtube.com/user/EricJergensen I made the leap and ordered induction heater and a water chiller from joyfay.com. Shipping took 3 days for the induction forge and the chiller a few days later, so it was much faster than I originally expected. The packaging on the induction heater was top notch. It arrived in a well built wood crate with plenty of properly fitting foam in the crate itself. After hooking everything up adding distilled water and plugging it in I was getting a 'lack water' warning. I went back and forth with joyfay and they suggested something was wrong with the induction unit. I sent it back on their dime and the new one arrived a few days later. Hooked it all up again and' same problem. Scratching my head and reviewing the terrible documentation they sent with the unit (like Chinese translated to russian then back to english'difficult to understand). After a bit of investigation I tried just hooking my garden hose to the machine with the output just running into the yard. The induction unit worked perfectly it was the chiller they suggestd and sold me that was the problem (not enough water volume) Sent the water chiller back and on to Plan B - to build my own water chiller that could handle the volume the induction heater requires.
I built my own water chiller. I used a pro-con pump (listed blow) and a heat exchanger from ebay (also listed below). With the addition of a fan to pull air over the heat exchanger I had my own water chiller. It works well but I'm using a 5 gallon bucket for the water. I'd like to have a larger volume of water so I plan to move up to a 15 gallon container sometime in the future.
Hooking the induction forge up to the chiller is a little bit of work because the input to the forge requires two water lines and the output has three lines out. It would have been really nice if they could have made all those connection inside the unit and only have one line in and one line out. I ended up making a divider for the input and the three output just drain directly into the 5 gallon bucket. The pump has a screw in it that allows you to set the volume of water but I left at the factory setting and it worked perfectly .
So that is what I did, I'm not saying this is the best way but this is the best I could come up with. If anyone has Ideas for improvements or thoughts or questions on the machine I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks,
Jeff
Javos IronWorks.
Video showing the machine in use- youtube.com/watch?v=TWUpdrkgbg8
Parts-
15 KW High Frequency Induction Heater 30-80 KH $827
joyfay.com/catalog/product/ ' oCcS3w_wcB
This is the chiller Joyfay told me would work with the induction heater. Do not buy this! the chiller worked fine but the volume of water was half of what was required.
USA S&A CW-DG 110V Industrial Water Chiller for 130W / 150W CO2 Laser Tube - $470- $50 shipping from Ebay
PROCON PUMP KIT WITH MOTOR BRASS ROTARY VANE PUMP 115 VAC MTR 1/3HP 60HZ 6.2A -$180 $10 shipping from ebay
Finned Coil Water to Air Heat Exchanger, 1" sweat connections, different sizes $57
ebay.com/itm/Finned-Coil-Wat ' .l
Material for the cart it all stands on- $50 for the wheels and the steel sheeting. I had leg material from a previous job.
Thread starter
Metallus
Start date
Aug 17,Tags
In summary, the conversation discusses the basics of induction heating and how it works. The process involves passing alternating current through a hollow coil of copper, generating a magnetic field that heats a conductive material placed inside the coil. The discussion also touches on the use of a cooling fluid to keep the coil cool and the effect of the insulator between the coil and the heated material. The conversation also explores the safety concerns of putting a hand or finger into a powered coil and the role of frequency in induction heating. There are also hobbyist sites and videos available for those interested in making their own induction heaters.
Metallus
Hi there,
I'm a material chemist, currently working on ceramics. I know the very basics of physics, but I have many doubts about electromagnetism.
How does induction heating exactly work? I understand that you use a hollow coil of copper with a cooling fluid circulating inside, through which you pass alternate current at high frequency. This generates a (oscillating?) magnetic field that points towards the center of the coil (according to right hand rule). If you put an object inside, called susceptor, it gets heated.
1) Why does this happen? What happens exactly at a microscopic level in the susceptor to justify the generation of heat? I always imagine alternating two magnets on a rod of iron and I can't fathom how this would heat it.
2) Does this work with any object or just metals/graphite and why? What would happen if I put, eg, my hand inside an induction coil powered to heat graphite at C? What if I put an insulator?
3) I am amazed that the coil can heat graphite to C without melting, considering that copper melts at C. Yes, there is a cooling fluid circulating, but considering the graphite die is usually 1cm away from the coil, that seems really insane cooling. Or am I underestimating the effect of the insulator between the coil and the graphite die?
Thanks
Windadct
The material being heated needs to be conductive, the changing magnetic field creates eddy-currents in the material and the current creates the heat. Your thinking is correct about the magnets and a piece of Iron, but it needs to be a changing Magnetic field. - Example, if you look at the core of a transformer, it is assembled of laminated (insulated) steel plates, to reduce these currents in the core.
The coil does not need coolant flowing in it to make the effect work, it is only to keep the coil cool. To generate the strong magnetic field, the coil needs a lot of current.
Metallus
I understood that the coolant was for the joule effect, but if the material that is being heated is very close to the coil and it reaches °C, isn't there the possibility of the coil "softening" with just the radiation from that body? °C at 1 cm distance seem quite a lot to dissipate.
Also, if the material needs only be conductive, I assume I could safely put my finger inside a powered coil (granted I don't directly touch the coil and get shocked). Is that right or I'll still get "warmed"?
Science Advisor
Gold Member
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Metallus said:
Test that with a hot dog before inserting your finger.
Metallus
Not planning of actually doing it :D, don't worry. I would be more scared of accidentally touching the coil and getting electrocuted, beside the fact that the coil itself heats up on its own. Just curious about what the effects would be on a human.jim hardy said:
@Metallus
Test that with a hot dog before inserting your finger.
Not planning of actually doing it :D, don't worry. I would be more scared of accidentally touching the coil and getting electrocuted, beside the fact that the coil itself heats up on its own. Just curious about what the effects would be on a human.
Science Advisor
Gold Member
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Metallus said:
Induction 'induces' current in the material to be heated. That current generates heat by simple IX Rof the material in the magnetic field.It needn't be high frequency but it's way more practical to use it .That's becauseof flux is what 'induces' and you well know thatsin(ωt) = ωcos(ωt) . So raising ω let's you use smaller transformer and wire.There are plenty of hobbyist sites making induction heaters. Modern "Inverter" microwave oven power supplies are a popular power source, they rewind the high frequency SMPS power supply transformer to give low voltage high current. Youtube will show you fun hobbyist videos.
Induction heating is a method of heating an electrically conductive material by using an alternating magnetic field. This is achieved by placing the material in an induction coil, which generates the magnetic field. As the material is heated, its electrical resistance increases, causing it to produce heat.
Induction heating works by using the principle of electromagnetic induction. When an alternating current is passed through an induction coil, it generates a changing magnetic field. This magnetic field then induces an electrical current in the material placed in the coil, causing it to heat up.
Induction heating has several advantages, including high energy efficiency, fast heating speeds, and precise temperature control. It also allows for localized heating, making it ideal for heating specific areas of a material. Induction heating is also a clean and environmentally friendly method of heating, as it does not produce any harmful emissions.
Induction heating can be used to heat a wide range of electrically conductive materials, including metals such as iron, steel, copper, and aluminum. It can also be used for non-metallic materials like graphite and some plastics, as long as they have a conductive coating.
Induction heating is commonly used in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. It is often used for heating and melting metals in foundries and for heat treatment processes such as annealing, hardening, and tempering. It is also used for brazing, soldering, and bonding in the electronics industry.