Using induction brazing rather than a conventional torch can increase the quality of joints and shorten the time necessary for each braze; however, the ease of creating a reproducible process makes induction brazing ideal for serial, high volume production processes such as induction brazing of heat exchangers. Brazing the bent copper tubing on heat exchangers can be tedious and time consuming because joint quality is critical and there are so many joints. Induction power could be your best solution to maintain quality without sacrificing production speed. Precisely controlled, powerful generators from eldec provide heat exactly where you need it without causing distortion, ensuring that your production process is accurate and fast. Whether your heat exchangers are large, medium or small, in the plant or in the field, eldec makes an induction brazing generator to meet your specific needs. Brazing can be done manually or with the aid of automation.
Return Bend Brazing for Heat Exchanger Tubes
Watch the video below to see how effortless the manual process with a standard coax with a T-handle is. In this case study, the part was a medium volume application for high performance automobiles. Since all of the return bends were the same size, a single-turn coil was used used to slip over and braze the inlet/outlet joints. This customer was small and had only one employee skilled enough to braze these bends with a torch. If the skilled employee was out sick or on vacation, production stopped. By using induction, the company was not only able to make their process more efficient, they were easily able to train a group of employees to perform the work, making sure production continued uninterrupted.
Braze perfect joints quickly and repeatedly on return bend heat exchanger tubes without operator fatigue using eldec’s MiniMICO induction power system. Whether brazing manually with the assistance of a flexible coax and T-handle or adding a robotic arm, eldec LLC can custom-build an induction brazing system to make your process easier, more precise and efficient, and faster. eldec’s MiniMICO is a portable, induction power supply built for performance and speed. It is available in 15 kW or 30 kW medium frequencies with the following features and options:
- an integrated chiller with 3-ton capacity options (10.5 kW)
- compact design (31″ wide by 47″ deep by 45.5″ high)
- flexible coax
Options and accessories include:
- pyrometer integration capabilities
- boom arm for supporting the coax transformer weight for manual brazing
- coax transformer
- heating cables
- stacklight
- brazing pistol assembly
- tooling storage
Induction Brazing with a Robot for Precision, Performance and Speed
Adding automation to the induction brazing process can lead to additional improvements in production speed and the quality of brazed joints. Our video demonstrates how well this process works. In this example eldec worked with an integrator to fit a robot with an induction brazing system and programmed it to braze a series of heat exchanger tubes with pre-formed alloy rings quickly and precisely. If you are considering adding robotic automation to your production cell, eldec can integrate robotics with the induction brazing system. Watch a video demo of the process using a robotic arm.
Induction brazing equipment from eldec is customized for each application. In addition, custom-made induction coils can be designed to suit your specific parts. Drawing from years of experience and a deep knowledge base, eldec’s application engineers will help you:
- Braze precisely
- Speed up production
- Increase your efficiency
- Improve safety
- Reduce down time
- And increase the quality of joints
Want to learn more?
At eldec every project begins with a consultation with our knowledgeable application engineers. Give us a call or request a consultation and we’ll call you to get the conversation started.