The most common industrial fastener materials include three major groups of steel – carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloy steel. Aluminum, titanium, and various (nickel, brass, etc.) alloys are also used for the manufacturing of metal fasteners. Different types of coatings (including chrome, zinc, hot-dip galvanizing, etc.) are often applied as well.
Apart from the heat treatment procedure throughout the manufacturing process, induction heating can also be used for non-destructive testing of the produced fasteners. When a workpiece is placed inside the induction coil, the applied electromagnetic field generates eddy currents into the conductive material. These eddy currents can be used for the detection of surface cracks or revealing defects. which allows rejection of the damaged fastener right at the manufacturing conveyor line output.
How is Induction Heating used in the Fasteners Industry?
Heat treatment – Induction heating can be used to perform a variety of heat treatment processes on fasteners, such as through hardening, surface hardening, and tempering.
Hot heading - Induction heating is used to preheat bolt and screw heads prior to forging. This helps to reduce the force required to form the head, and it also improves the quality of the finished product.
Thread rolling - Induction heating can be used to heat fasteners prior to thread rolling. This helps to make the material more ductile and easier to form, and it also improves the quality of the finished threads.
Thread patching - Induction heating can be used to cure the paint or powder material used in thread patching. This is a very fast and efficient way to cure the coating, and it produces high-quality results.
Quality control – Induction heating can be used to detect surface cracks and defects in fasteners. This is a very effective way to identify and reject defective parts.
Here are some specific examples of how induction heating is used in the fastener industry:
Induction heating systems are used to preheat bolt and screw heads prior to forging at several major fastener manufacturers. This has helped to improve the quality of their products and reduce their production costs.
Induction heating is used to cure thread patching materials at many fastener manufacturers. This has helped to improve their productivity and reduce their rework rates.
Induction heating is used to perform heat treatment on fasteners at a number of major aerospace and automotive manufacturers. This helps to improve the strength and durability of their products.
Induction heating is used to detect surface cracks and defects in fasteners at a number of major fastener manufacturers. This helps to ensure that only the highest quality products are shipped to their customers.
Overall, induction heating is a very versatile and powerful tool that can be used to improve the manufacturing process and product quality in the fastener industry.
Contact our Tech Specialist to help you better understand the benefinets of induction heating . Request for Free Testing
Request Compliementary Lab Testing Service :
We will design and test the optimal induction heating solution for your application follow these easy steps :
1. Send us your parts and process requirements.
2. Our engineers will analyze your process and heat your parts to develop the right solution for your specific application.
3. You will receive your parts back for inspection as well as a video of the heating process of your parts, and a laboratory report with a system recommendation.
