PROJECTS

Inductive heating of metal yields complete temperature control

EFD Induction is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of industrial induction machines. The company’s products for flame- and contact-free heating of metal is used for, among other things, welding of pipes, soldering of mixer taps, hardening of metal and removing of paint from metal.

In the car and airplane industries, and many other industries working with metal, inductive heat processes are an essential part of the production. The technology is extremely energy effective, as it can focus the heat energy very precisely, and heat up the item to exactly the temperature that is needed.

EFD Induction is world leading in this area, and manufactures a large range of different apparatus’, tailor-made for specific uses. All of these apparatuses use the same control unit to govern the frequency converter inside. The converter changes power from the power grid to higher frequencies, which heats up the metal item to be treated through an induction coil.

The picture at the top of this article shows a mobile and flexible Minac, which is small enough to fit in a regular car and can be easily taken to the work site. You can connect an endless range of different coils fit to do the exact work to be accomplished.

New generation control system

When the control unit was due to be updated, EFD Induction contacted Data Respons R&D Services to get help from specialists.

– We have been using the current control system a number of years, explains Bjørn Sverre Aspheim, development director in charge of Induction Power Supplies in EFD Induction.

– So it was time to exchange the old electronics with a new design, for several reasons. Some of the components used is headed for end-of-life. Also we want to improve the control system to support future functionality upgrades.

– The bulk of the project is done using our own developers, but we needed extra resources to speed up the development, and also get some specialist competence for the project. That’s why we contancted Data Respons, which is the leading technology company the Nordics within industrial electronics and embedded software.

SIMPLE WHEEL CHANGE FOR TRAINS: The wheels locking rings are heated up to a completely even temperature and can easily be removed while the bracing stays cold.

Two embedded specialists

Lijiao and Bendik from Data Respons R&D was handed the task. Lijiao is an FPGA expert with solid competence in embedded hardware and software. She has a PhD from the University of Bergen and has worked in Data Respons R&D services for more than 10 years. Accompanying her is Bendik Husa, a newly hired developer with a Masters degree from the University of Bergen with a specialty in embedded electronics.

– We were given the task to design a new I/O-board, which is a board that collects and retransmits information from different sensors and actuators in the apparatus, explains Lijiao.

– The board collects 56 digital and 10 analogue inputs, and sends them to the control board which is the ‘brain’ in the system. The I/O-board collects among other things temperature measurements and other types of data for the control board, which runs the advanced algorithms to control the machine’s frequency converter.

– It also receives information from the control board to manage a set of outputs. The I/O-board has more inputs than outputs, and has a more modern and powerful microcontroller than the old, and in practice replaces an additional board as well.

BUILT FOR THE FUTURE: The completely digital control system makes the upgrading process simple, enabling the system to be completely updated with the newest features. Advanced analysis makes it possible to stay ahead of coming maintenance needs.

The newest knowledge

According to Bjørn Sverre Aspheim the new I/O-board is inside 80% of the frequency convertes EFD Induction is manufacturing. He expects the new board to be in production almost as long as it’s predecessor, which translates to about 15 years.

– Even though we have a very skilled internal development department, we are not up to date on all the technical details of such a design. But Data Respons R&D Services is. They develop and design boards of this type all the time, and thus are updated on all the technical details required for such work.

– At the same time we have a strategic desire to accelerate our development time, so that we can move faster to market with new technology. That is why we in the future will make use of more external resources for this type of development projects when the need arises.

EFD Induction expects to manufacture about 650 apparatuses a year, and the same number of I/O-boards. Every board is tested to make sure it works as expected before it is placed inside the apparatus.