Inductoheat, Inc. shipped a single-module, 500 kW/3 kHz InductoForge® induction forging system and material-handling equipment to a supplier of hardware and hand tools. This machine is designed for heating a wide range of billet diameters and lengths to 2250°F. This forging line begins with a 6,500-pound-capacity automatic bin tipper with automatic refill, which dumps carbon steel billets into a rotary feeder. The rotary feeder continuously feeds billets end to end using a start/stop motion sensor and supplies a pinch-wheel in-feed system that precisely delivers billets through the induction coils on heavy-duty skid rails.

The power module supplies two in-line forging coils and accurately heats the billets to 2250ºF at a nominal rate of 300 pieces per hour. Process control is enhanced by IHAZ™ (induction heat-affected zone) temperature-modeling software, which allows for customized billet temperature profile to best suit the customer’s ideal billet heating specifications. After billets are heated to the ideal temperature profile, they exit the induction coil on a fast extractor conveyor, while the infrared temperature pyrometer activates the over and under accept/reject system.