Induction Line Heating With Dry-Zone Cooling for Metal Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The metal fabricating industry, particularly in shipbuilding, faces challenges with manual and inefficient processes for metal forming, which are costly and labor-intensive, especially in environments requiring one-off or few-of-a-kind production, where automation is prohibitively expensive due to complex robot programming and limited flexibility.
Innovation Solution
An automated thermal forming system using induction heating to create a heated line on metal parts, combined with a cooling system that maintains a dry area to prevent coolant splashing, allowing for rapid and precise metal deformation without external forces, utilizing multiple induction coils arranged along a line to form a heated line and employing a deformable liquid-filled bladder for support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual line heating and cooling processes are used for metal forming, then flexibility for one-off production is maintained, but productivity and forming speed are extremely low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated system comprising a programmable controller, heating elements, and cooling mechanisms. The controller automatically sequences the heating and cooling operations, eliminating manual intervention while maintaining flexibility through programmable control, thereby dramatically increasing forming speed without requiring expensive hard automation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements rapid parameter changes by controlling heating elements to quickly raise localized temperatures, then immediately applying cooling to create thermal gradients that drive forming. This rapid cycling of temperature parameters enables high-speed forming while the programmable controller allows different parameter sequences for different production runs, maintaining flexibility
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional single heating coil systems are used, then device complexity is low, but heating uniformity and forming precision are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heating system into multiple independent heating elements arranged in arrays rather than using a single coil. Each element can be independently controlled to create precise thermal patterns, improving heating uniformity and forming precision. The segmentation allows complex heating profiles to be achieved while maintaining relatively simple individual component designs
Solution Approach 2:
The heating elements are designed to serve multiple functions: they can be arranged in different patterns for different forming operations, controlled at different power levels for various heating rates, and reconfigured for different product geometries. This multi-functionality increases precision without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
3Shape
If through-thickness heating is applied to create significant deformation, then forming capability is improved, but in-plate shrinkage and dimensional control become difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heating locally to specific regions rather than uniformly throughout the plate thickness. By controlling which areas are heated and to what temperature, the system creates localized thermal gradients that produce desired shape changes while minimizing unwanted shrinkage in other areas. The programmable controller enables different heating zones to be activated selectively for precise dimensional control
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 system significantly increases the speed and accuracy of metal forming, reduces labor costs, and improves efficiency by enabling flexible automation in one-off production environments, achieving a 100-fold increase in forming rate compared to conventional methods while minimizing energy waste and operational expenses.
Implementation Method 1
Multiple induction coils are arranged along a line and spaced a short distance apart, but which, when operated simultaneously together, form a heated line on a surface of a metal part
Implementation Method 2
an air knife cooling system configured to maintain a dry area for the heated line, and to direct a coolant (e.g., cooling water, liquified gases such as liquid argon, solidified gases such as carbon dioxide snow, and so forth) around the heated line via a spray mechanism
Implementation Method 3
Another hot forming method, which may be referred to as thermal forming or line heating, uses residual thermal elastic-plastic deformation, which is created by differential or local heating and cooling, but where no externally applied force is used
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3
AI summary
In certain embodiments described herein, a heated line forming system includes a heating coil system configured to produce a heated line on a surface of a metal part. The heated line forming system also includes an air knife cooling system configured to maintain a dry area for the heated line, and to direct a coolant (e.g., cooling water, liquified gases such as liquid argon, solidified gases such as carbon dioxide snow, and so forth) around the heated line via a spray mechanism such that the coolant does not flow or splash into the heated line on the metal part. In certain embodiments, the heated line forming system includes multiple induction coils arranged along a line and spaced a short distance apart, but which, when operated simultaneously together, form a heated line on a surface of a metal part.