Chapter III.

Induction Coils

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

 Requirements for Induction Coils
Induction Coils are the work tools of induction installations.
They must:
• Meet specifications to temperature distribution
• Have good electrical efficiency
• Have a satisfactory life time
• Provide desired production rate
• Have favorable parameters for efficient energy supply, such
as high impedance and power factor
• Have low sensitivity to changes in the part dimensions and
positioning in specified range
• Meet special requirements (quenchant supply, atmosphere,
material handling, incorporation into the machine, etc.)
• Have reasonable cost
In many cases magnetic flux controllers are required to
achieve these goals

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

2
 Advanced Induction Coil Design
Induction coils are essential components of the whole installation and their
design and manufacturing quality are very important.
Advanced induction coils design includes:
• Detailed analysis of specifications, available equipment and environment
• Sometimes a “Design For Induction Heating” Strategy may be applied:
– Modification of heat pattern specs
– Part geometry modification
– Part material change (if possible)
– Sequence of operations
• Coil style and heating process selection (scanning, single-shot, static etc.)
• Computer simulation for coil head optimization
• Analysis of benefits of magnetic flux controllers application
• Coil engineering (design of coil head, leads, structural components, quenchant
supply etc.)
• Advanced manufacturing techniques
• Tests in laboratory or industrial plant for performance
• Final corrections if required

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

3
Example of Improved Design of Induction Coil
• Quote: “ It is difficult to make a coil that does not work at all”
Anatoly Smirnov, old coil master, 1958

• Addition: But it is difficult to make a coil that fits or exceeds the modern
customer expectations!
• Magnetic flux control can play a key role in optimal coil design

Fluxtrol ring
Example of coil optimization using flux
controller
Original induction coil for plastic coating
application of stub shafts produced
improper temperature distribution and was
subjected to mechanical damage by parts.
New potted coil (left) with local Fluxtrol
controller and stainless steel protective
cap provides excellent heat pattern
control, coil mechanical strength and
improved efficiency.

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

4
 Induction Coil Types
There are thousands of different induction
coil designs with different geometries,
dimensions and materials used.
However it is possible to organize all the
coils into several major types (styles) and
their combinations:
• Cylindrical Outer Diameter (OD) coils
• Internal (ID) coils
• Hair-pin Coils
• Split-and-Return Coils
• Pancake Coils
• Vertical Loop Coils
• Single-Shot Coils
• Transverse Flux Coils and others

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

5
Evolution from Transformer to Induction Coil
Any induction coil may be considered as a “transformer” with a workpiece
as a short-circuited secondary winding.

c d
a b

a. Transformer with two layers of primary windings and short-circuited secondary

(black)
b. Transformer type of induction heating coil
c. Multi-turn cylindrical coil with magnetic flux concentrator
d. Single-turn cylindrical coil with magnetic flux concentrator

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

6
 Cylindrical Melting Coils

There is a big variety of melting coils in size and

design but almost all of them are cylindrical coils.
Frequency range is very wide from line frequency
for big furnaces to radiofrequency for melting of
small parts, precious metals etc.
Big furnaces usually have lamination shunts for
parameter improvement, magnetic field shielding
and as construction components
Small high and middle frequency furnaces
usually have no concentrators or shunts
Flux controllers may be effectively used in
vacuum or special atmosphere furnaces mainly
for shielding. Right – coil for melting radioactive
materials in protective atmosphere. Fluxtrol A
shield strongly improved efficiency and power
factor and allowed the use of a larger furnace in
the same chamber

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

7
 Cylindrical Multi-turn Forging Coil

• Multi-turn cylindrical or oval coils are

used for heating billets, rods and slabs
for forging. Typically they have thermal
insulation (lining) to reduce heat loss
and to protect winding
Multi-turn forging induction coil
• Application of external concentrators
cannot improve parameters of long
forging coils. Lamination shunts are
used sometimes at low frequency to
provide rigid frame withstanding
electrodynamic forces and to reduce
strong external magnetic fields
• Local controllers may be used at the
coil ends to control temperature
distribution in the part and to protect
handling mechanisms (rolls etc.) from
unintended heating
Courtesy VNIITVCh, St. Petersburg, Russia

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

8
 Cylindrical Heat Treat Coil
• There are many varieties of
cylindrical heat treating coils with
different turn numbers, copper
profile, concentrator presence and
geometry etc.
• They are widely used for local
static heating and scanning
processes
• Concentrators are the most
effective on single or two turn
coils. They can help in achieving
specified heat pattern, improve
part quality and increase
production rate

Single-turn scanning coil with integrated

quench and Fluxtrol A concentrator

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

9
 Single-Shot Induction Coil

CVJ single-shot coil

• Widely used for heating of axles, hubs and other relatively short parts
especially with varied cross-section. Cylindrical part must rotate. Requires
high power which results in copper being heavily loaded.
• Concentrators are required for local temperature control and coil
parameters improvement.

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

10
Scan Hardening Using Single-Shot Inductor

Short Single-Shot
induction coils may be
used for scan
hardening of worm
shafts and other parts.
Application of
concentrators adjusts
temperature
distribution on tips and
root areas.
Fluxtrol
Concentrator

Courtesy AjaxMagnethermic-TOCCO company

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

11
 Internal Diameter (ID) Coils

Several types of induction coils

may be used for heating of
internal surfaces:

• Cylindrical single- and multi- Single-turn scanning coil with Ferrotron 559H
turn coils core. Quenchant is supplied through the
• Hairpin coils holes in the core

• Central Rod coils

Cylindrical coils are the most
common.
All ID coils except Central Rod
strongly benefit from use of
magnetic concentrator (core).
Two-turn inductor with Fluxtrol core. Quenchant
supplied through the fiberglass tube passing inside
the core

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

12
 Internal Diameter Multi-turn Coils
• Single-turn cylindrical ID coils may be used
for static heating of short areas and for
scanning of long parts
• Multi-turn ID coils used for static heating of
long zones are more complicated because of
return leg passing inside the coil diameter
D int.
• Magnetic concentrator (core) is critical for
improvement of coil efficiency, power factor
and current demand. Poles on the
concentrator are recommended for better Left - Multi-turn ID coil with magnetic core
parameters and heat pattern control Right – two versions of return leg position

• It is recommended to make magnetic core of

two parts with gap or shift return leg to the coil
side in order to reduce additional magnetic
field created by return leg
• Right – potted 6-turn ID coil with Ferrotron
559H core
Magnetic core

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

13
 Example of I.D. Inductor with External
Cooling Ring

This multi-turn ID coil for Quenchant inlet

surface hardening of a thin-
wall part has an external External
cooling ring to control cooling
of a part
hardness depth.
Quenchant is supplied
through the magnetic core
with outlet holes between
the coil turns and in the end
area of the core.

Fluxtrol core

Coil copper cooling

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

14
 More Types of Internal Diameter Coils

Central Rod ID coil Hair-Pin ID coil

• Central Rod ID coil may be used for heating of small ID bores (less than
ten millimeters in diameter). A drawback of this coil is that there must be
electrical contacts in current circuit to insert and remove the part

• Hair-Pin ID coil requires rotation of the part. Magnetic flux concentrator

(core) is necessary for efficient performance of this coil. It is also possible
to control power and temperature distribution in the part length by varying
concentrator size or material

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

15
 Hair-Pin and Split-n-Return Coils

• Hair-Pin coils are widely used for

scanning heating of flat surfaces.
Concentrator strongly improves coil
efficiency and power factor

• Split –and-Return coils can heat almost

rectangular straight zone. May be used
for static heating and for scanning mainly
in longitudinal direction (tube seam
annealing etc.)
• Concentrator is strongly recommended
for these coils for heating zone control
and parameter improvement
• This coil is slightly more efficient than
Vertical Loop coil but is more bulky

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

16
Robot Guided Heating with Hair-Pin Inductor

• Hair-Pin coil has two sections

without and with concentrator
(Fluxtrol A)
• Concentrator application provides
higher efficiency and allows deep
control of the workpiece temperature
profile. For “smooth” control different
material types or concentrator
dimensions may be used

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

17
 Channel Coils

• Channel coils are used for local heating

(annealing, tempering, brazing, curing,
forge heating) of different parts (fasteners,
cartridges, rod ends etc.)
• May be single or multi-turn
• Concentrators improve coil efficiency and
control temperature distribution in the parts.
For quality heating of randomly supplied
parts, channel coils must be supplied with
current as the constant value. This allows
for variable number of pieces to be heated
correctly
• Brazing channel coil (bottom) has
additional magnetic shields
(“deconcentrators”) on cross-overs in order
to reduce electrodynamic forces on brazing
joint components at the coil entrance and
exit

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

18
Two-turn Channel Coil for Mass Heating

Beam heating before bending operation

Local Fluxtrol A concentrators

with protective casings

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

19
 Pancake and Vertical Loop Coils

• Pancake induction coil is usually multi-

turn. It heats a ring on the surface.
Central zone may be heated by heat
conduction or coil / part movement such
as eccentric part rotation
• Concentrator is strongly desirable to
improve coil parameters and reduce
underheated central zone

• Vertical Loop induction coils can heat

almost rectangular straight zone. May
be used for static heating and for
scanning in longitudinal or transversal
direction
• Concentrator is strongly recommended
for these coils. It is desirable to have
return copper leg wider than an active
leg

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

20
Coils for Transverse Flux Heating (TFH)

• TFH systems are able to heat very thin parts

(strips, bands, plates) at relatively low .
+
frequency with high electrical efficiency. They
consist of two Hair-Pin or Split-n-Return coils
located on opposite sides of the part. Widely
used in metallurgy (strip heating) and + .
packaging industry (sealing). Ф
• Magnetic flux concentrators are necessary for
these coils to provide high efficiency and to Ф – Magnetic flux
control temperature in the width of the part

+ .
• More simple system with magnetic pad
instead of one of the coils has parameters
between TFH system and hair-pin coil

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

21
 More Induction Coils

Many induction coils have complex

geometry, which may be “decomposed”
to several standard types.
This Horse-shoe induction coil was
developed for an automotive aluminum
heat exchanger in a brazing operation
“tube to pipe”. It may be considered as a
combination of half-cylindrical coil with
two hair-pin coils.
Magnetic controllers are critical for these
coils in general and for this application
particularly. They permit consistent joint
quality with significant coil parameter
improvement. Different joints may be
brazed with the same coil copper by
modifying controllers only.

Confidential and Proprietary Information of Fluxtrol, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI

22