Induction heating allows both superficial and core treatment of metals. Although the surface hardening of steels is the best known induction heating application, there are many other types of treatment possible, such as : core hardening, continuous hardening of tubes or bars, certain types of tempering, etc.
This heating method is very well suited for heat treatment processes for two reasons:
The heat may be concentrated in the area desired without heating the other areas of the part treated,
Heating time is very short with respect to other heating processes.
Fives Celes know-how in the inductor design along with the frequency choice enable Fives Celes equipment to reach the most stringent hardening treatment. The very wide range of impedance of CELES inverters allows the continuous heating even after the change of the magnetic characteristics of the product to be treated (continuous heating before and after the Curie point).
This selectivity and speed, combined with effective power transfer, allows induction heating to use considerably less energy during heat treatment processes. In addition to this considerable advantage, the success of Fives Celes induction treatment installations is due to the following :
The small degree of deformation after treatment
The high production rates possible, making it suitable for mass production
The ease with which systems can be automated and integrated within the production process
The highly accurate temperature obtained
The optimized energy consumption at each cycle
The excellent reproducibility
The lack of surface oxidation or metal contamination.
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