As with any significant process change and equipment purchase, it is important to be able to justify the expense in order to move forward. Here we review some of those factors that help make the business case for induction heating.
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Reduce Energy Costs
What does your oven cost to operate? With induction heating, it's not uncommon to be able to convert 90% of your energy into heat in the part. By comparison, a batch furnace is typically only 45% energy efficient. It's also common to keep ovens operating 24/7 so it's ready whenever you need to heat. That readily available heat comes at a cost. One Ultraflex customer reported annual operating costs of over $10,000 for their oven. They were shocked to find the induction system was only going to cost them $1,000 per year to operate (with the added bonus of improving their heating time from 70 minutes to 45 seconds!).
Implementing a torch has similar issues in that the majority of the energy does not enter the part. One customer estimated that they were spending $6.37 per part for a preheat application using a torch. The same preheat application using induction heat, had an energy cost of $0.58. In today's competitive market, can you afford to not save $5.79 per part?
How can I use this as part of my Business Case?
Look at your oven's specs to determine its power usage. Check online for your region's energy costs (or your energy bill) to determine the cost per kW-hr. For a torch, determine the amount of fuel consumed per part, and use the fuel rates to determine the cost per part. For the induction heating costs, Ultraflex is happy to run these calculations for you, when you request a quote.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of induction heating machine for forging. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Regarding Cooling
These machines REQUIRE water cooling, they absolutely will not function without it. You can make your own DIY cooler or buy a cooling system, either way you must account for some kind of water cooling when you're looking at buying one of these machines. There are really only 2 requirements for the water cooling system, sufficient pressure and a correct temperature range of the coolant. Without adequate pressure or the correct temperature the machine will alarm with a 'water fail' condition, meaning it will emit a loud tone and and it will not work. This alarm is a fail-safe to prevent you from damaging your machine. When I first set my machine up, I plumbed a garden hose with a ball valve at the 'water in' port on the back and ran the 'water out' line to another hose that drained into the yard. The ball valve only had to be opened about ' of the way for me to have sufficient pressure and since the water was only going through the machine once, it was perfectly capable of maintaining the proper cooling temperature. I think this garden hose/tap water solution would work as long as you don't have 'hard water' in your area that could cause deposits and buildup in the machine. At the time of writing this document I am now using a dedicated Tig cooler filled with 6 gallons/25L of distilled water. In the winter time, depending on your climate you may need to add some kind of antifreeze agent (see note below in December update.) The manufacturer of the Induction machine does not recommend it but many Tig coolers are also sold with an antifreeze agent so I'd imagine it's probably ok for periodic use during extreme cold. I am using this 25L unit because I wanted a 'self contained' system that I could mount on a cart and roll around, only having to worry about power cords, rather than power AND water lines running all over the shop. If that's not a concern for you, you can certainly just run a water line into the machine and out to a drain, again given that you have sufficient pressure to the machine.
Updates & Troubleshooting the DIY Machine
December Update As the weather has cooled, I've been concerned about the distilled water in the system freezing. Some people in the Induction Forge Facebook group have said that they add various kinds of antifreeze to their system in the winter. So far, I have not seen the water temp in the shop get below 40's inside the shop. One of the members of the Facebook group contacted US Solid who told them NOT to add an antifreeze agent to the system. For now, I don't know that I'll need to worry about that but if you live in extreme cold, you will likely need to research what is the best way to keep the system from freezing up. I have heard of some guys keeping small space heaters nearby during the coldest times. I've now had the Tig cooler up and running since August, in use almost daily and so far I believe that I am safe in reporting that the 25L Tig cooler seems to be an adequate cooling system. Since I've added the thermometer I've been able to see that the water temperature in the Tig cooler stays around 85-90 degrees during late August temperatures before ever turning the machine on and in the 50-60 degree range in these cooler months. I did several longer forging sessions in the late summer and never saw the water temps go over 110-115 degrees. Most of the time, I'm only running the machine for about a minute or so to get a heat and then there's a break while I forge. I believe during that break the Tig cooler is able to cycle water adequately enough to keep the system working, even during summer months in Mississippi. I think the alarm trips at 130 degrees on most 15kw induction forges.
January Update The weather has gotten into the 20's here a couple of times now, however my shop is lightly insulated and seems to keep the machine from ever getting down below freezing. The lowest I've read the water temp now is in the low 40's on the coldest days so far. I don't think I will need an antifreeze agent but I have spoken to a few guys who suggest other water additives that may be a good idea like algicides, etc.
July Update - PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED and resolved with the cooling system. Bottom line, DO NOT USE STANDARD ANTIFREEZE in these machines, even temporarily. If you feel you need an antifreeze agent, use a dedicated Tig Coolant. I have also heard that 'RV antifreeze' can work but I don't have experience with it. Find a coolant that is labeled "Low Conductivity Antifreeze/Coolant." These apparently contain a base of ethylene glycol and deionized water, 50/50. Back in January, I did decide to add a bit of antifreeze to try and avoid having any water freeze inside the machine and possibly result in damage. Looking back now, I believe that was a mistake because I did not immediately flush the system and re-install clean, new distilled water. I tried to use the induction machine yesterday and noticed that it kept beeping a warning and the 'water fail' alert LED was blinking and would it not heat material. After determining that the Tig cooler was still pushing a good flow of water I decided to investigate the water flow system in the induction heater itself. I started by removing the heating coil from the front of the machine and the tubing from the 'water out' ports on the back. I blew compressed air in both sides of the coil-connectors at the front of the machine. One side allowed air to freely flow all the way through the machine while the other did not. Once I established that one side was blocked I decided to pull the cover off of the machine and I found 4 areas where copper limescale had built up and caused blockages in several of the water tubes. To fix the blockages it was a simple manner of disconnecting the tubing, clearing it and re-installing it. I then drained the entire system of the old, dirty water, flushed the system with a vinegar mix (not sure if that helped anything or not) and then re-filled the Tig cooler with 6 gallons of new distilled water. The pictures below show what I found when I opened the case on the induction heater:
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