Induction Heating Coil Internal Wall Segmentation for Additive Manufacturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing induction heating coils using additive manufacturing face challenges when molding at an inclination angle of 90°, as they require forming a support inside the coil, which hinders coolant flow and reduces production efficiency, and at 45°, which increases the required area and decreases the number of coils that can be simultaneously produced.
Innovation Solution
The induction heating coil design includes a pair of arcuate pipes connected by a straight pipe with internal walls dividing the path into multiple sections and rhombic through holes, eliminating the need for internal supports and preventing temperature unevenness, while allowing for efficient production at a 90° inclination angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the induction heating coil is molded at an inclination angle of 90° by additive manufacturing, then the area required on the xy-plane is minimized and production efficiency is improved, but internal supports must be formed inside the coil which hinder coolant flow
Solution Approach 1:
The internal path of the straight pipe is segmented into multiple paths by forming partition walls that extend from the inner peripheral surface. This segmentation allows coolant to flow through multiple separate channels, preventing flow obstruction that would occur with a single path and internal supports.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls extend in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface of the straight pipe, creating a three-dimensional structure that divides the internal path without requiring longitudinal supports. This dimensional approach allows the coil to be molded at 90° inclination without internal supports hindering coolant flow.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the induction heating coil is molded at an inclination angle of 45° to avoid internal supports, then coolant flow is maintained, but the area required on the xy-plane increases and the number of coils that can be simultaneously produced decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the internal path into multiple channels using radially extending partition walls, the design allows the coil to be molded at the more space-efficient 90° inclination angle while maintaining effective coolant flow distribution, thereby improving production efficiency without sacrificing coolant flow performance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If internal supports are formed in the straight pipe during additive manufacturing, then the coil structure is stabilized during molding, but the supports cannot be removed after molding and hinder coolant flow
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts the support function from separate internal support structures and integrates it into the pipe wall itself through radially extending partition walls. This eliminates the need for removable supports while maintaining molding stability and ensuring unobstructed coolant flow through the segmented internal paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls that provide structural stability during molding are merged with the pipe wall structure itself, extending radially from the inner peripheral surface. This integration eliminates the need for separate internal supports that would need to be removed, while the segmented paths maintain effective coolant flow.
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
This design enables the production of induction heating coils without internal supports, maintains coolant flow efficiency, and significantly increases the number of coils that can be produced simultaneously, improving overall production efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
an article having a 3D (three-dimensional) shape is molded by repeatedly applying a laser beam to a predetermined area of a metal powder deposited in a layered state, thereby melting and solidifying the metal powder in the predetermined area
Implementation Method 2
additive manufacturing technology (so-called the '3D printer technology') has been in the limelight. In the additive manufacturing technology, an article having a 3D (three-dimensional) shape is molded by repeatedly applying a laser beam to a predetermined area of a metal powder deposited in a layered state, thereby melting and solidifying the metal powder in the predetermined area
Implementation Method 3
an induction heating coil used for induction heating of a cylindrical object to be heated
Data Source
AI summary
An induction heating coil according to the present disclosure includes a pair of arcuate pipes curved in an arcuate shape along a circumferential direction of an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical object to be heated, and a straight pipe connecting one ends of the arcuate pipes to each other, in which at least one wall is formed inside the straight pipe, the at least one wall extending along a longitudinal direction of the straight pipe and dividing an internal path of the straight pipe into a plurality of paths, and at least one rhombic through holes is formed in the wall.