Patent ID: 6274857
Filing Date: 2001-08-14
Classification: C21D,H05B,Y02P

Abstract:
An induction heat treatment system for the heat treatment of pre-selected components of a metal workpiece having a central longitudinal axis, the workpiece comprising two or more first substantially cylindrical components coaxially arranged along said central longitudinal axis, one or more second substantially cylindrical components interposed between said two or more first substantially cylindrical components, each one of said one or more second substantially cylindrical components having an independent axis offset from and in parallel with said central longitudinal axis, each of said first and second substantially cylindrical components connected to an adjacent non-heat treated irregularly-shaped component, said induction heat treatment system comprising:at least one ac high frequency power supply;one or more stations for induction heat treatment of one or more pre-selected first and second substantially cylindrical components in each one of said one or more stations, each one of said one or more stations comprising:a first pallet assembly comprising:an at least one first inductor segment formed from electrically conductive material, each one of said at least one first inductor segment having a facing surface and an interior through opening, said interior through opening forming a first coil segment and a second coil segment on opposing sides of said interior through opening, at least one of said first or said second coil segments having a first partial component opening, said first partial component opening having a generally arcuate coil surface, each one of said at least one first inductor segment having means for connecting said first inductor segment to the output of one of said at least one ac high frequency power supply; andan at least one first magnetic flux concentrator segment having at least two facing surfaces, each one of said at least one first magnetic flux concentrator segment disposed partially around a flux concentrator area of said at least one first inductor segment;a second pallet assembly comprising:at least one second inductor segment formed from electrically conductive material, each one of said at least one second inductor segment having a facing surface and an interior through opening, said interior through opening forming a third coil segment and a fourth coil segment on either side of said interior through opening, at least one of said third or fourth coil segments having a second partial component opening, said second partial component opening having a generally arcuate coil surface, the facing surface and interior through opening of each one of said at least one second inductor segment having a corresponding opposing facing surface and interior through opening in one of said at least one first inductor segment, and each one of said second partial component opening having a corresponding opposing first partial component opening in one of said at least one first inductor segment; andan at least one second magnetic flux concentrator segment having at least two facing surfaces, each one of said least one second magnetic flux concentrator segment disposed partially around a flux concentrator area of said at least one second inductor segment; each one of said at least two facing surfaces having a corresponding opposing one of said at least two facing surfaces on one of said at least one first magnetic flux concentrator segment, anda dielectric material disposed on the facing surface of each one of said at least one first inductor segment or said at least one second inductor segment;a workpiece transport system to move said metal workpiece between said one or more stations and seat said metal workpiece in each one of said one or more stations;a workpiece positioning system to rotatively orient said one or more pre-selected second substantially cylindrical components and to axially orient said metal workpiece for heat treatment of said one or more pre-selected first and second substantially cylindrical components in each one of said one or more stations; andmeans for selectively moving said second pallet assembly adjacent to said first pallet assembly, whereby the facing surface of each one of said at least one second inductor segment and each one of the at least two facing surfaces of said at least one second magnetic flux concentrator segment are adjacent to said corresponding opposing facing surface of each one of said at least one first inductor segment and said corresponding opposing one of said at least two facing surfaces of said at least one first magnetic flux concentrator segment, respectively, and each of said second partial component opening and corresponding opposing first partial component opening form a substantially closed inductor within which one of said pre-selected first or second substantially cylindrical components is heated by a magnetic field generated by said substantially closed inductor in response to excitation by high frequency ac current from said at least one ac high frequency power supply.