ELO-FORGE
High productivity and superior product quality
The ELO-FORGE series of induction heaters fulfil all wishes of plant operators for high productivity, stable induction heating processes, and extremely high product quality for induction forge heating of billets. Individual, mutually compatible modules allow the induction forge heaters to be individually adapted to the requirements of specific forging machines. The induction heating machines from SMS Elotherm are characterised by proven high availability and efficiency. The machine components are designed to be readily accessible and easily maintained. All wearing parts are designed for long life and easy replacement. Advanced converter technology enables high efficiency with a constantly high power factor.
A large range of mutually compatible components are available for ELO-FORGE to facilitate the implementation of high-performance, fully automatic production lines. The individual upgrade options include automatic inductor changing systems, robot systems, material magazines, material parting systems, transfer units for downstream forming units, and more. Bowl and step feeders, emptying devices, three-way sorters and extraction tongs also form part of the portfolio.
Perfect integration into the production process
The ELO-FORGE forge heating machines stand out thanks to their compact construction. The converter is either integrated into the substructure or installed in a separate converter cabinet. Thanks to their compactness and flexibility, the induction heating machines can be perfectly integrated into the production process.
Induction forge heating of billets is an essential part of the SMS Elotherm GmbH product spectrum and is constantly being refined and optimised. It combines many decades of expertise with the latest knowledge from research and development.
These machines are used in forge heating for billets, camshafts, steering knuckles, suspension members, axle shafts, stub axles, shafts, gears, gear racks, chain links, machine knives, tools and more.
Induction heating ensures a constant workpiece temperature. Uniform, consistently short cycle times can be achieved. The temperature can also be raised very quickly, since there is no need for slow adjustments as with conventional furnace technology. Clean induction heating considerably reduces scale formation and surface decarburisation. That means high surface quality and low rework effort. It also increases the service life of forging tools. The combination of a short heating section, short start-up times and synchronised operation yields high production performance.
Along with fast and precise heat input, the advantages of induction technology include emptying with an emptying device and automatic zone shutdown, so that even the last piece in the material feed can be forged. That way no valuable energy is wasted, for example during tool or program changes. In this case, conventional furnaces must be operated in idle mode at reduced power, which has a negative impact on the energy balance.
The material column can be kept warm, for example during interruptions in the forging machine. As such, the amount of circulating material and energy consumption can be significantly reduced. Advanced LLC converter technology ensures a consistently higher power factor over the entire power range. The compact emptying device enables forging down to the last billet. It is recommended for frequent batch changes, large cross-sections and long inductor sections, as well as significantly reducing the effort required for trial forging. ELO-FORGE provides reproducible high quality in line with Internet of Things, because all data – dimensions, throughput, temperature of the heated workpieces – is saved and can be retrieved immediately.
Compact design and modularity
The ELO-FORGE induction heating machines stand out thanks to their compact construction. The converter is either integrated into the substructure or installed in a separate converter cabinet. Thanks to their compactness and flexibility, the ELO-FORGE induction heating machines can be perfectly integrated into the production process.
The machines in the ELO-FORGE series cover a wide range of materials and can be adapted to the full range of customer requirements. A modular system consisting of individual, mutually compatible components enables optimal adaptation of the machine to the desired process, facilitating highly efficient integration.
Mathematical model
Thanks to a mathematical model, the desires of plant operators for high productivity, stable heating processes and the best possible product quality for the subsequent forging operation can be ensured in both normal and abnormal operation. In the event of disruptions in downstream processes or during operation with reduced throughput, a mathematical model comes into play. This mathematical model allows high quality requirements to be safeguarded with constantly optimal energy consumption.
Advanced water cooling
All ELO-FORGE machine components that are exposed to strong radiant heat from workpieces are water-cooled. Unlike normal concepts, however, the cooling is limited to the essential parts. Furthermore, the cooling system is designed to enable optional heat recovery.
Quick inductor change
The ELO-FORGE induction heating machine offers several options for quick inductor exchange: a quick-change system with roller tracks or an automatic shuttle system, both with inductor sets mounted in parallel. For everyday use in an industrial setting, this enables extremely fast product changes and correspondingly higher productivity.
Credentials
Induction forge heating
ThyssenKrupp Gerlach GmbH
For more than 40 years, SMS Elotherm has been supplying induction heating machines to a wide variety of ThyssenKrupp sites worldwide.
ThyssenKrupp Gerlach (Germany) placed an order with SMS Elotherm GmbH to build an induction heating machine. With a process power of 2x 2400 kW, throughput of 13 tonnes per hour and length of just under 15 metres, the dual line sets new performance standards in the world of induction forge heating. The heating machine is equipped with zone technology (iZone control), an emptying device, a fully automatic inductor shuttle as well as robot-controlled material feed and removal.
The machine is able to adapt flexibly, automatically and energy-efficiently to all operational load conditions.
Brochure: ForgeLine
Technical report: DIN EN ISO 50001 – Opportunities for the international forging industry
Technical report: Forge Operators Boost Productivity and Energy Efficiency with New Induction Furnace Technology
Technical report: Dynamic energy management for increased energy efficiency in modern induction heating systems
Technical report: Measurement of temperature in inductive heating systems