Application of Induction Heating Technology in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

Induction heating as an emerging discipline has been widely applied in the past 30 years. Its importance is particularly prominent in today's energy shortage. The technology of induction heating is rapidly improving and its applications are becoming increasingly diverse. China began to develop the technology of induction heating after the reform and opening up period, and its application prospects are very promising.

Advantages of induction heating

Low energy consumption: the efficiency of actual heating of the billet furnace and induction heat transfer furnace can reach 65% to 75%, while flame furnaces and various chamber furnaces are only about 30%.
This type of furnace does not require the preheating process of coal furnaces, gas furnaces and resistance furnaces, making it easy to use and operate. The furnace can work for a long time continuously or be turned on or off according to the needs. It can be fully manual or fully automatic or semi-automatic, thus having an absolute advantage in production scheduling.
There is no need to heat the entire workpiece, local heating can be selected, so the electricity consumption is small, the workpiece deformation is small, and the heating speed is fast. It can make the workpiece reach the required temperature in a very short time, thus reducing heating defects such as surface oxidation and decarbonization to a very low level. It can be used for steel, tungsten, molybdenum and other steel materials, as well as for heating or heat treatment of chemically active aluminum, titanium, zirconium, niobium and other materials.
Induction heating equipment can be installed on the production line, making it easy to automate and mechanize the production line, facilitate management, effectively reduce transportation, save manpower, and improve production efficiency.
Induction heating also has the advantages of high electric energy utilization, environmental protection and energy saving, safety and reliability, and good operating environment.

Based on the above advantages, today when electric energy replaces non-renewable energy such as coal, oil and gas in the heating field, induction heating is getting more and more widely used in melting and heating fields. The application prospect of electric heating, especially induction heating, is very promising, and the manufacturers of induction heating equipment have broad development space.

Application of induction heating technology in automobile manufacturing

The booming development of the automobile industry has brought unprecedented development opportunities to the industry of automobile components. The technology of induction heating is also increasingly being applied in the field of automobile manufacturing.

In terms of melting, casting is a metal processing method that is easy to shape. Using casting method, various parts of different sizes and complex shapes can be made for automobiles. It can be said that in the development of the automobile industry, all casting process methods can be used to the fullest.

Both at home and abroad, the production of cast automobile parts mainly uses melting processes such as cupola furnace melting, medium frequency induction electric furnace melting, and cupola furnace-medium frequency induction electric furnace dual-union melting. Due to its technological advantages, the induction smelting furnace is also being increasingly used in the casting industry.

In terms of heating, according to statistics, the parts using induction heat treatment in the automobile industry in the former Soviet Union accounted for 40% to 45% of the heat-treated parts. The development and application level of induction heating technology is self-evident today.

The application of induction heating technology in the automobile industry mainly involves the following areas: