EFD Induction expert published by leading steel industry group

An extensive technical paper co-authored by Dr. Hansjürg Stiele, a material sciences expert at EFD Induction Germany, has been published by ‘Stahl-Informations-Zentrum’, the prestigious industry group representing German steel producers and manufacturers.
The paper, which is so far only available in German is titled ‘Wärmebehandlung von Stahl—Randschichthärten’ (Heat Treatment of Steel—Surface Hardening). "I wrote the paper," says Stiele, "with my co-author Dr. Dieter Liedtke in order to give people in the heat treatment industry a thorough yet compact introduction to the theory and practice of surface hardening.



" The paper gives a comprehensive overview of various hardening methods such as induction, flame, laser and electron beam hardening. "Surface hardening is of tremendous commercial and technical importance, so it is vital that decision makers—and not just engineers—have some understanding of the technologies involved," says Stiele.



Stahl-Informations-Zentrum is a leading steel industry organization in Germany. Member companies include Salzgitter AG, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, Saarstahl AG and various companies from the ArcelorMittal group. The paper is just under 40 pages long, and features dozens of explanatory graphs, photographs and illustrations. Copies of the paper (which is #236 in the ‘Merkblatt’ series of publications) can be downloaded free for personal use at: www.stahl-info.de

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Dr. Hansjürg Stiele is a material sciences expert based at EFD Induction Germany’s manufacturing centre in Freiburg.



   
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EFD Induction acquires Electronic Heating Equipment, Inc.

EFD Induction acquires Electronic Heating Equipment, Inc.
EFD Induction has announced its acquisition of Electronic Heating Equipment (EHE), Inc., a leading supplier of impeders, coils, scarfing equipment and related products to tube and pipe manufacturers around the world.
Commenting on the acquisition, EFD Induction CEO Eivin Jørgensen says “EHE is a dynamic enterprise that since its foundation in 1980 has won the trust and confidence of top tube and pipe makers. The company is a perfect fit for us to strengthen our presence in North America, and to further expand in the global tube and pipe market.”



EHE builds customized coils, impeder and scarfing assemblies, components critical for highproductivity welding. “The acquisition,” says Jørgensen, “means EFD Induction now offers tube and pipe manufacturers everything from high-uptime solid-state welders to specialized coils, impeders and scarfing products. And since induction welders, impeders and ID scarfing equipment all have to work together, there are obvious benefits to customers in having EFD Induction as a single source. We can ensure that impeders and coils work with the ID scarfing equipment so that each welder operates at optimum efficiency.”



EHE founder John Wright will continue as managing director of Washington state-based EHE for the next several months. He will continue to work for both EHE and EFD Induction as a consultant. “We’re thrilled to be able to call on John’s expertise in the future,” says Jørgensen. “His experience and contacts will be invaluable as we continue to grow the business.”



The tube and pipe welding industry accounts for a significant part of EFD Induction’s global business. The company’s ‘Weldac’ range of solid-state induction welders are sold around the world, and are particularly popular with makers of pipe for the oil and gas industries. EFD Induction also recently announced the launch of a range of smaller, lower-power ‘Weldac’ welders to meet growing global demand.

   
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EFD Induction to show new low power welder at Tube Düsseldorf

EFD Induction will display one of its new low-power induction welders at this year’s Tube Düsseldorf (hall 06, stand C 26). The welders are the latest addition to EFD Induction’s well-known Weldac range of induction welders. “The only differences,” says Peter Runeborg, head of welder sales at EFD Induction, “are the new welders’ lower power ratings of 50-225 kW and their smaller footprints. Everything else—including the high constant power factor of 0.95, the use of rugged IGBT transistors, and our unique five-year warranty on all inverter
modules—stays the same.”

According to Runeborg, the new low-power Weldacs are especially attractive to fabricators for whom welding is an important element in a larger manufacturing process. “Many of these customers use large, inefficient valve-type welders. Now they can gain the benefits of steady-state welding, but at power ratings that suit their production needs.”

An example of such a manufacturer is automotive component manufacturer Calsonic Kansei, which has chosen one of the low-power welders to weld aluminium components for car radiators and condensers. The new welder has been chosen by Calsonic Kansei UK for its facility in Llanelli, Wales.

“Our choice of EFD Induction was in part motivated by our positive experience of a larger Weldac,” says Peter Tomas, production engineer at the Llanelli plant.

“The larger Weldac achieved high uptime, and gave us very little trouble. And when we did need after-sales support, we received prompt, professional service from EFD Induction.”

The new Weldac, which will soon be delivered to Calsonic Kansei will weld aluminium radiator and condenser components with a material thickness of only 0.25mm. “Being chosen by Calsonic Kansei, which is a renowned name in the world of automotive components, is an honour,” says Jon Philpott of EFD Induction UK. “But being selected for such a challenging application adds to the sense of achievement.”

Seam normalizing experts
Visitors to the EFD Induction stand will also have a chance to learn more about the company’s existing higher-power Weldac range. There will also be experts on hand to explain the commercial and technical benefits of EFD Induction’s seam normalizing solutions. “We have made key advances in simulation modelling and coil design for weld zone normalizing,” says Runeborg. “These breakthroughs let us minimize the length of normalizing lines. They also let us pinpoint alloy- and gauge-specific heating and cooling zones—critical when designing normalizing solutions for the new generation of pipe being used by the oil and gas industries.”

EFD Induction will also be demonstrating one of its compact Minac induction heating systems at Tube Düsseldorf. “The Minac range,” says Runeborg, “can heat practically any electrically conductive material: copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, brass, etc. It can also be used with a wide variety of coils—even one-off customized coils. This flexibility, together with integrated output matching (a feature standard to all Minacs), makes Minac ideal for a wide range of applications: brazing, shrink fitting, hardening, curing, straightening, heat treatment, etc.”

Caption: Peter Runeborg, head of welder sales at EFD Induction, with one of the new low-power Weldac welders that will be on show at Tube Düsseldorf, March 26-30 (hall 06, stand C 26).


   
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