Induction heating is a process that uses electromagnetic induction to heat conductive materials, such as metals and semiconductors. The heating is caused by eddy currents, which are induced in the material by a rapidly changing magnetic field. The frequency of the magnetic field is typically in the range of 10 kHz to 1 MHz, and the power level can be adjusted to control the rate of heating. The temperatures are as low as 100 ºC (212 °F) and as high as 3000 °C (5432 °F) .It can be used in brief heating processes that are on for less than half a second and in heating processes that are on for months.
The Benefits of Induction heating over other heating methods, such as:
- Efficient, with up to 98% of the energy being converted to heat.
- Fast, with the material typically reaching the desired temperature in seconds.
- Precise, with the heating area being limited to the area within the induction coil.
- Safe, with no emissions or fumes or flame
Extended Life of Fixturing due to precise heating
Induction heating is a versatile and efficient heating method that is used in a wide variety of applications. It is a safe, precise, efficient, and clean process that offers several advantages over other heating methods.
Induction heating is used in domestic and commercial cooking, and in many applications, such as melting, heat treating, preheating for welding, brazing, soldering, curing, sealing, shrink fitting in industry, and in research and development.
Induction heating is used in a wide variety of applications, including:
- Metalworking, such as hardening, annealing, and welding
- Plastics processing, such as melting and forming.
- Food processing, such as cooking and pasteurization.
- Medical applications, such as surgical sterilization and cancer treatment
Difference between Induction Heating and Resistance Heating
Heating is a process of increasing the temperature of a body to an acceptable level by using thermal energy. The mechanism involved in heating is generally referred to as a heating system.
When the process of heating is performed by using the electric current, i.e. the electric current is converted into heat energy by employing a suitable mechanism called the electric heating. The principle behind the electric heating is the heating effect of electric current which states that when an electric current flows through a conducting medium, the medium resists the flow of this current which results in the rise in temperature of the medium, i.e. the heating of the medium.
Today, different methods of electric heating are available like resistance heating, induction heating, arc heating, dielectric heating, etc.
| Resistance Heating | Induction Heating | Resistance Heating |
| Definition | The type of electric heating in which object is heated by the process of electromagnetic induction is called induction heating. | The type of electric heating in which object is heated due to only the resistance of the material of the object is called resistance heating. |
| Principle of heating | The electromagnetic induction is the principle behind the induction heating. | The power loss in resistance (I2R loss) is principle used in the resistance heating. |
| Types | There are two types of induction heating namely, direct-induction heating and indirect induction heating. | There are two types of resistance heating namely, direct resistance heating and indirect resistance heating. |
| Current carrying part | In case of induction heating, the electric current flows through a coil of an electromagnet of the induction heater. | In resistance heating, the electric current flows through a wire of high resistance to produce heat. |
| Heating part | In induction heating, the heat is directly produced in the object to be heated by the electromagnetic induction. | In resistance heating, the heat is produced by a resistance wire and then transferred to the object to be heated. |
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