Induction Hardening
The more productive hardening process
Hardening — an introduction
Hardening uses heat and rapid cooling (quenching) With induction hardening, only the material in the
to increase the hardness, strength and/or durability of heating zone is heated. There’s no need to treat the
steel. Heating steel or iron above their upper critical whole mass of the component, thus saving energy. The
temperatures modifies the crystal structure of the hardening result depends upon a complex interaction
metal to a form called Austenite. With this atomic of process parameters such as coil and quench design,
arrangement the carbon can then freely migrate to a material analysis, component geometry, heating fre-
new location. When hardening, the aim is to quickly quency and power and quenching cycles. At EFD
quench the Austenite, thus trapping the carbon Induction we have all the expertise required in electro-
atoms in their new positions in the crystalline struc- magnetism, power electronics, metallurgy and induction
ture. The transformed structure, called Martensite, hardening process setup.
is extremely hard. In addition, hardening creates im-
portant internal residual stresses that can be either
beneficial or disadvantageous. Depending on require-
ments, tempering can be carried out after the induction
hardening process.
At EFD Induction you’ll find experienced metallurgists,
engineers and quality control experts, In fact, you’ll find
all the competence needed to ensure you get the most
reliable, most cost-effective hardening solution possible.
Perfect results for challenging workpieces. Our range of
hardening machines, together with customized coils and
patented multi-frequency technology, can handle the
trickiest gear hardening tasks.
Why choose EFD Induction?
It might be our 65-plus years’ experience in the industrial induction business with our
vast application knowledge. Or perhaps our global network of factories, workshops
and representatives. It could be our range of pre- and after-sale services. Or that we
are the world’s largest induction hardening company, with customers that include the
most prestigious names in the automotive, aviation and metals industries. Perhaps it’s
all of the above. But whatever your hardening needs, there is no shortage of reasons
for contacting EFD Induction.
Proven solutions Making it right before making it for real
EFD Induction hardening systems can be found at At our labs and R&D centers we design, validate and
some of the world’s most demanding and quality- and optimize hardening solutions. Using simulation soft-
cost-conscious companies. Many of our hardening ware we can explore various scenarios to find the best
customers appreciate our integrated approach— the possible answers. Then we translate them into func-
fact that we develop, test, install and maintain complete tioning solutions.
hardening solutions.
Meeting new demands
The people behind the process The ever-increasing demand for lighter vehicles and
Like any other industrial process, induction hardening is lower emissions is accelerating the need for innovative
only as efficient as its human operators. That’s why EFD hardening solutions. At EFD Induction we have pioneered
Induction provides full and regular training programs. some major technical advances to make induction
We get your people up to speed, and make sure they hardening more efficient and flexible. State-of-the-art
have the skills and knowledge to make the most of their control systems, and our patented Multi Frequency
EFD Induction solution. Concept are just two examples.
An EFD Induction vertical hardening machine in action. Inductor for surface hardening of tripods. The inductor
The chuck connection behind the workpiece lets you use head is equipped with magnetic flux controllers, main
the same machine for either high or medium frequency quench and screen quenches.
hardening.
Induction hardening.
What makes it so effective?
More and more companies are opting for induction-based hardening solutions. Here are
four key reasons that make induction hardening such an attractive choice.
1. High throughput 3. Minimal environmental impact
Induction hardening is ideal for integrating into pro- Induction heating is a clean, flameless, no-contact
duction lines. Once installed, you can exploit the equip- technology. And since it precisely delivers heat only
ment’s high throughput, accurate controllability and when and where it’s needed, induction hardening is ex-
reproducibility — even for workpieces with complex tremely energy-efficient — particularly when compared
geometries. And if components need tempering, we to wasteful methods such as furnace carburizing. Also,
offer different solutions such as induction or furnace induction hardening typically uses a polymer emulsion;
tempering. thus avoiding the use of environmentally unfriendly
oil baths. These features are not only good news for
2. Shorter leadtimes
the environment, they also contribute to a safer, health-
The in-line integration made possible by induction
ier and more productive workplace.
hardening not only boosts output — it slashes lead-
times. Components no longer need be sent away to 4. Complete control
hardening shops or separate hardening areas. Trans- Induction hardening treats each workpiece individually.
portation times and costs are reduced. Administration This means each and every workpiece is hardened to
is streamlined. very precise specifications. Nothing is left to chance.
With EFD Induction’s PLC/CNC control systems you
determine the heating pattern, heating time, through-
put speed and quenching process for each hardened
component. Parameters for each component can be
supervised and stored on your server via a network
connection.
Double hardening for double productivity. The quenching
phase inside a single cabinet hardening machine with
twin tailstocks and centers.
Innovative induction
Slewing ring without soft zone
Hardening of big rings is not done with single shot
hardening because the required power would be ex-
tremely high. However, traditional scanning hardening
results in a ‘soft’ zone in the start/stop area. But with
EFD Induction’s innovative and patented solution, three
independent coils work together to create a seamless
induction-hardened ring.
Specialized crankshaft hardening
Car crankshafts, truck crankshafts, marine crankshafts
— EFD Induction systems are used worldwide to harden
every imaginable type of crankshaft in a wide range
of production volumes. Many of the world’s leading
car and truck makers use our patented coil design to
ensure the consistent high quality and productivity
essential in their industry.
High throughput horizontal hardening
Our centerless horizontal hardening systems combine
exceptionally high throughput rates with high repro-
ducibility. Ideal for mass producing plain shafts, EFD
Induction centerless systems feature control software
with a reaction time of only 1/1000 s.
Vertical hardening of shafts and flanges
Hardening a shaft is relatively straightforward. But what
about hardening shafts and shaft flanges in one fast
operation? Our universal vertical hardening systems are
a proven method for hardening axel flanges. We also
offer vertical indexing table machines that can be robot
loaded for high production volumes.
Multi Frequency hardening
EFD Induction’s patented ‘Multi Frequency Concept’
(MFC) ensures simultaneous delivery of two different
frequency ranges to the same induction coil. The result
is a system that always allows an optimized heat dis-
tribution in the workpiece. The exact mix of high- and
medium-frequency power delivered by MFC makes it
ideal for the contour hardening of complex geometries.
Complete hardening solutions
EFD Induction has been developing induction-heating
solutions for more than 65 years. Today, we’re the
world’s largest induction hardening equipment maker,
with manufacturing plants, R&D centers and sales
companies around the world. Our strength is complete,
tailored systems. We usually start in the lab, with
materials analysis and computerized simulation of
various solutions. We also look at coil design, and
determine which quenching, loading/unloading and
control systems best suit your needs. And of course, we
don’t consider our job done until your systems — and
your operators — are up and running 100%.
Hardline is our complete range of heat treatment Designing, making and installing equipment is only
systems from vertical, horizontal, rotary table and the first phase in a hardening solution. That’s why we
centerless systems to customized, one-off solutions. offer comprehensive maintenance, repair and operator
In fact, custom-engineered solutions account for more training services. Many of our hardening customers also
than half of all the hardening systems we deliver. Major benefit from our induction coil support program. This
components in our systems are EFD Induction Sinac ensures optimal performance during the lifetime of the
Universal Heat Generators. Sinac is the market’s widest coil, and minimal downtime
range of generators, offering an unrivalled spectrum during coil replacements.
of frequencies. And of course, we also offer tempering
options, either as stand-alone options, or fully inte-
grated into the equipment.
www.efd-induction.com
PUTTING THE SMARTER
HEAT TO SMARTER USE
