Cook Induction partnered with Super Systems Inc. to implement a fully electronic SCADA package at its Nadcap-approved facility in Maywood, Calif., which offers heat-treating and brazing (induction, torch and furnace) services. “Having the ability to track and recall furnace data from our desks has made life so much easier,” said Troy Doolittle, Cook Induction’s quality manager. “The new system has improved our ability to stay on top of scheduling and production.”

As our 90th-anniversary year winds to a close, we take a look at an updated reader resource affectionately called the Heat Treat Wheel. Some years ago, we created this source of reader-chosen “evergreen” articles for all of our topic categories. It can be found under our “Featured” tab by clicking on “Heat Treatment Processes.” Admittedly, it looks more like a pie than a wheel, but the wheel is a better metaphor, so we will continue to use that name.

This article looks at the benefits of scalable and configurable induction power supplies.

Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic acquired assets of IQ Technologies Inc. Cleveland, Ohio-based IQ Technologies has been commercializing an intensive quenching (IQ) process for steel parts in the U.S. and overseas for the past 20 years. The IQ process is an effective and alternative way of quenching steel parts. Developed by Dr. Kobasko of Ukraine in 1964, it presents a very rapid and uniform cooling of steel products in water with cooling rates several times greater than that of conventional quenching in agitated oil or polymer. The IQ process is interrupted at an optimal time when the surface compressive stresses reach their maximum value and the part hardened layer reaches its optimal depth. A proprietary computer program is used for determining an optimal dwell time for steel parts of different shapes and dimensions.

Anhui Anhuang Machinery Co. Ltd. placed an order with SMS group for a fully automatic closed-die forging line for pistons. The 2,500-ton line consists of a fully automatic closed-die forging press and an induction heating system from SMS Elotherm for heating the forging blanks. Anhui Anhuang will be one of the first automotive suppliers in China that is capable of manufacturing pistons for cars and trucks in a fully automated process. Commissioning is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.

Taylor-Winfield Technologies (TWT), a metal joining solutions providers, announced the opening of its fully equipped laser coil joining research-and-development laboratory in Youngstown, Ohio. The lab is an extension of the company’s existing full-service metal joining and induction heat-treatment laboratory. The laser laboratory is equipped with a full-width 1,930-mm coil joining solid-state fiber laser welder with induction pre- and post-weld heat treatment. It is available for customer sampling and proof-of-process validation for the application of laser coil joining in a process line.

What if you plugged an induction heating system into a wall outlet, flipped the “on” switch, and not only produced a 100% output efficiency but amplified the output by more than double the input?.

Recently, however, aerospace manufacturers are researching the options of producing thermoplastic composites in an out-of-autoclave press consolidation technique because it reduces the production cycle from 4-7 hours to 10-30 minutes for small and mid-size parts.

The PICO-S induction generator’s compact and portable design, intuitive operation menu and easy plug-and-play commissioning allow for use in a wide range of induction applications – from brazing to shrink-fitting and from die hardening to annealing.

Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic and Ohio Crankshaft are wholly owned subsiaries of Park Ohio Holdings. Park Ohio is a diversified international company providing world-class customers with a supply-chain management outsourcing service, capital equipment used on their production lines and manufactured components used to assemble their products.