3D-Printed Heating Coil Structure to Prevent Groove Shoulder Overheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating coils for high-frequency induction heating processes face issues with excessive heating at groove shoulder parts due to eddy currents, leading to brittleness and difficulty in maintaining consistent product quality and reproducibility, especially when used on shaft-shaped materials with varying diameters.
Innovation Solution
A heating coil formed by a partial welding lamination method or melt extrusion lamination method using three-dimensional data, incorporating a unique annular heating unit design with coupled circumferential and columnar heating bodies, and integrated cooling medium paths to prevent excessive heating and ensure uniform hardening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple annular heating unit is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but excessive heating occurs at groove shoulder parts due to eddy currents
Solution Approach 1:
The annular heating unit is divided into multiple independent heating sections (first heating section, second heating section, third heating section) with different structural configurations. Each section has its own coolant passage and can be independently optimized to control eddy current distribution, preventing excessive heating at groove shoulder parts while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a complicated shaped annular heating unit is used to avoid excessive heating, then excessive heating is prevented, but manufacturing reproducibility and consistency deteriorate due to bonding multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The heating unit is designed as a single integrated component where the heating sections and coolant passages are formed as one piece through metal 3D printing technology. This eliminates the need to bond multiple components together, ensuring consistent product quality and manufacturing reproducibility while maintaining the complex geometry needed to control eddy currents.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical bonding processes (silver soldering, brazing) are replaced with additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing) technology. This substitution enables the formation of complex heating unit geometries with internal coolant passages as a single monolithic structure, eliminating bonding variability and improving manufacturing consistency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple components are bonded to form the heating unit, then the functional requirements are met, but reliability deteriorates due to bonding damage under high output conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The heating sections and coolant passages are merged into a single integrated component manufactured by metal 3D printing. This eliminates multiple bonding interfaces that would be vulnerable to damage under high output conditions, while still providing the necessary coolant flow paths for thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated design anticipates the high thermal and mechanical stresses of high output operation by eliminating weak bonding interfaces beforehand. The monolithic structure provides inherent strength and reliability, cushioning against the risks of bonding failure under extreme operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coil effectively prevents excessive heating at groove shoulders, allows for consistent product quality, and enhances durability by reducing deformation and damage, enabling efficient and reproducible hardening processes.
Implementation Method 1
heating a material to be worked using electromagnetic induction by a high frequency current
Implementation Method 2
an edge effect due to a magnetic flux F continuously generated at a position close to a groove shoulder part by an annular heating unit Hc causes a large quantity of eddy current E to flow at the groove shoulder part
Implementation Method 3
the annular heating unit is internally provided with a coolant passage through which a cooling medium, such as water, flows down
Data Source
AI summary
A heating coil 1 is integrally formed by a modeling method repeating laying, melting, solidifying, and laminating of a powder containing a conductive material based on three-dimensional data, and includes a pair of plate-shaped grounding portions 2a, 2b, a pair of plate-shaped supporting portions 3a, 3b, and an annular heating unit 4. The pair of grounding portions 2a, 2b are for contact with an electrode through which a high-frequency current is flowed. The pair of supporting portions 3a, 3b are disposed to be perpendicular to the respective grounding portions 2a, 2b. The annular heating unit is disposed to connect distal ends of the supporting portions 3a, 3b to one another. The annular heating unit 4 has a shape in which a plurality of circumferential heating bodies Ha, Ha, . . . horizontally disposed at different height positions are coupled by a plurality of vertically disposed columnar heating bodies Hc, Hc, . . . .