Induction Heating Aluminum Catheter Tipping With IGBT Heating Units
Objective: To heat an aluminum catheter tipping die to above 2850F within 2 to 5 secondsย for the forming of catheter material. Presently, heating is performed inย 15 seconds with older induction equipment. The customer would like to useย solid state induction equipment to reduce the heating times and develop aย more efficient process.
Material: Aluminum catheter tipping die measuring 3/8″ OD and 2″ long with aย nonmagnetic sleeve over the heat zone. The catheter material was describedย as being similar to polyurethane plastic. Also, a 0.035″ diameter steel wireย was inserted into the catheter tube to prevent collapsing.
Temperature: 5000F
Application: The DW-UHF-4.5kW solid state induction power supplyย was determined to most efficiently produce the following results:
A heating time of 3.3 seconds to reach 5000F and form the catheterย was achieved through the use of a two (2) over two (2) turn helicalย coil.
A quality catheter was formed by pressing 1/2″ of the polyurethane tubeย into the mold while retaining shape through the use of a 0.035″ wire toย prevent collapsing of the tube.
Laboratory results show that a substantial time decrease was accomplishedย which will allow for a significant increase in production while notย sacrificing quality.
Equipment: DW-UHF-4.5kW solid state induction power supply including aย remote heat station containing one (1) capacitor totalling 1.2 ฮผF.
Frequency: 287 kHz
