Induction furnace with own hands: circuit, assembly

Now furnaces with an induction system are widely used in the melting process of metals. The current produced in the field of the inductor promotes the heating of the substance, and this feature of such devices is not only the main, but also the most important. Processing leads to the fact that the substance undergoes several transformations. The first stage of the transformation is the electromagnetic stage, after it the electrical, and then the thermal one. The temperature that the stove emits is practically useless, so this solution is the best among all the others. Many people may be interested in the induction furnace , made by hand with their own hands . Next, we will talk about the possibilities of implementing such a solution.

Types of furnaces for melting metals

This type of equipment can be conditionally divided into main categories. In the first, the heart channel appears as the base, and the metal is placed in such furnaces in an annular manner around the inductor. The second category does not have such an element. This type has the name of a crucible, and the metal is placed inside the inductor itself. A closed core in this case is technically impossible to use.

Basic principles

The melting furnace in this case operates on the basis of the phenomenon of magnetic induction. And here there are several components. The inductor is the most important component of this device. It is a coil, the conductors in which are not ordinary wires, but copper tubes. This requirement is exerted by the very design of the smelting furnaces. The current that passes through the inductor generates a magnetic field that affects the crucible inside which the metal is located. In this case, the material is assigned the role of a secondary transformer winding, that is, through it passes a current heating it. So melting is carried out, even if an induction furnace is made by oneself. How to build this type of furnace and increase its efficiency? This is an important question, to which there is an answer. Using high frequency currents allows you to significantly increase the degree of efficiency of equipment. For this purpose it is appropriate to use special power supplies.

Features of induction furnaces

This type of equipment has certain characteristics that are both advantages and disadvantages.

Since the distribution of the metal must be uniform, the resulting material is characterized by a good homogeneous mass. This type of furnace works by transporting energy through the zones, and the function of focusing energy is also presented. For use, parameters such as capacity, operating frequency and lining method, as well as temperature control at which the metal melts occur, are available, which makes the workflow much easier. The existing technological potential of the furnace creates a high rate of melting, the devices are environmentally friendly, completely safe for humans and ready to work at any time.

The most notable drawback of such equipment is the complexity of its cleaning. Since the heating of the slag takes place solely due to the heat generated by the metal, this temperature is not enough to ensure its full-fledged use. A high temperature difference between metal and slag does not make the waste disposal process as simple as possible. As another disadvantage, it is customary to allocate a gap, because of which it is always necessary to reduce the thickness of the liner. Due to such actions, after a while it may prove to be faulty.

The use of induction furnaces on an industrial scale

In industry, crucible and channel induction furnaces are most often found. In the first melting of any metals in arbitrary quantities. Tanks for metal in such variants are able to fit up to several tons of metal. Of course, induction melting furnaces with their own hands in this case can not be done. Channel kilns are designed for the smelting of non-ferrous metals of various types, as well as cast iron.

Induction furnaces

This topic is often interested in fans of radio design and radio technology. Now it becomes clear that creating induction furnaces by one's own hands is quite realistic, and it was possible to do so very much. However, to create such equipment it is necessary to implement the action of an electrical circuit that would contain the prescribed actions of the furnace itself. Such solutions require the involvement of high-frequency generators capable of producing wave oscillations. A simple induction furnace with its own hands can be constructed using a four-tube electron tube in combination with a neon lamp, giving a signal that the system is ready for operation.

In this case, the handle of the AC capacitor is not located inside the device. Due to this, an induction furnace can be created by hand. The device diagram details the location of each individual element. Make sure that the device turned out to be powerful enough, you can, if you use a screwdriver, which should reach the hot state in just a few seconds.

Features

If you create an induction furnace with your own hands, the principle of operation and assembly of which is studied and produced according to the corresponding scheme, you should know that the melting rate in this case can be affected by one or more of the factors listed below:

- impulse frequency;

- hysteresis losses;

- generator power;

- the period of heat output to the outside;

- losses associated with the occurrence of eddy currents.

If you are going to bake induction with your own hands, then when using lamps you need to remember that their power should be distributed so that four pieces are enough. When using a rectifier, a network of about 220 V will be obtained.

Household use of stoves

In the home, such devices are used quite rarely, although similar technologies can be found in heating systems. They can be seen in the form of microwave ovens, electric ovens and induction cookers. In the environment of new technologies this development has found wide application. For example, the use of vortex induction currents in induction cookers makes it possible to cook a huge variety of dishes. Since they need very little time to heat up, the hotplate can not be turned on if nothing is on it. However, special utensils are required to use such special and useful plates.

Build process

The crucible induction furnace consists of an inductor, which consists of a solenoid made of a water-cooled copper tube and crucible, which can be made of ceramic materials, and sometimes of steel, graphite and others. In such a device, it is possible to smelt cast iron, steel, precious metals, aluminum, copper, magnesium. Induction furnaces with their own hands are made with a crucible capacity from a couple of kilograms to several tons. They can be vacuum, gas-filled, open and compressor. The furnaces are fed by currents of high, medium and low frequency.

So, if you are interested in an induction oven with your own hands, the scheme assumes the use of such basic units: a melting bath and an induction unit, which includes a hearth stone, an inductor and a magnetic core. The duct furnace differs from the crucible furnace in that the electromagnetic energy is converted into a thermal one in the heat release channel, in which the electrically conducting body must be permanently. In order to produce a primary start-up of the channel furnace, molten metal is poured into it or a template is inserted from a material capable of breaking into the furnace. When the melting is completed, the metal does not fully merge, but remains a "swamp" designed to fill the heat release channel for launch in the future. If the induction furnace is going to be assembled by hand, then, to facilitate the replacement of the stone for the equipment, it is made detachable.

Furnace components

So, if you are interested in an induction mini-oven with your own hands, it is important to know that its main element is the heating coil. In the case of a self-made version, it is sufficient to use an inductor made of a bare copper tube, the diameter of which is 10 mm. For the inductor, the inner diameter is 80-150 mm, and the number of turns is 8-10. It is important that the coils are not in contact, and the distance between them is 5-7 mm. The parts of the inductor must not touch its shield, the minimum clearance should be 50 mm.

If you are going to bake an induction furnace yourself, then you should know that on industrial scales the cooling of inductors is handled by water or antifreeze. In the case of low power and a short work of the device, you can do without cooling. But when working, the inductor is very hot, and the scale on the copper can not only dramatically reduce the efficiency of the device, but also lead to a complete loss of its performance. It is impossible to make an inductor with cooling on its own, therefore its regular replacement is required. You can not use forced air cooling, as the case of a fan located in the vicinity of the coil will "attract" EMF to itself, which will lead to overheating and a drop in the efficiency of the furnace.

Generator

When an induction furnace is assembled by one's own hands, the circuit assumes the use of such an important element as an alternator. Do not try to make an oven, if you do not know the basics of radio electronics, at least at the level of the average radio amateurs. The choice of the generator circuit must be such that it does not give a rigid current spectrum.

Use of induction furnaces

This type of equipment has become widespread in such areas as foundry, where the metal has already been cleaned and it is required to give it some specific shape. You can also get some alloys. In jewelry production, they also became widespread. An uncomplicated operating principle and the possibility of assembling an induction furnace by one's own hands allow increasing the profitability of its use. For this area, devices with a crucible capacity of up to 5 kilograms can be used. For small productions, this option will be optimal.