Magnetteknik International - Quick Heater™ Preheating Equipment for Railway Wheels and Tyres for Shrink Fitting

Magnetteknik International has, for more than 15 years, supplied heating equipment, Quick Heater™, for various industrial heating purposes. The first unit to the railway industry, a Quick Heater™ MFU 320 for wheel tyres, was delivered in 1988.

INDUCTION HEATING OF WHEEL TYRES

The generation of heat is accomplished by the magnetic effect on iron-based material. When the part to be heated is introduced into an alternating magnetic field, electric current is produced inside the material and heat is generated very rapidly.

The Quick Heater™ system is extremely efficient for rapid heating of metal objects.

Induction heating is not only a time-saving technique, it is also a very safe method as only the work-piece is heated up, the machine remaining cold.

This technique is similar to that used in induction heat treatment or induction melting. However, Quick Heater™ operates at much lower frequencies, ranging from 50Hz to 1,000Hz.

QUICK HEATER™ MFU 450 RAILWAY WHEEL HEATER FOR SHRINK FITTING AXLES

Quick Heater™ MFU 450 is a unit for railway wheels, for shrink fitting axles. The machine consists of an induction heater and in-feeding and out-feeding conveyors that make the unit a complete production line.

The wheels are put on the machine's loading conveyor in the order they are to be installed. The powered rollers in the conveyor automatically transport the wheels into the Quick Heater™ via a centring device. The centre parts of the wheels are heated in the Quick Heater™ to about 240°C in between 12 and 15 minutes. After heating, the wheel is automatically transported to the unloading conveyor which is equipped with a vertical tipper.

• Simplified production layout thanks to feeding through the heater gives considerably higher throughput
• Short heating time increases capacity for assembling
• Radically reduced cooling time after assembly allows rational "in-line" production
• The loading table contains wheels for a wheel set, which makes it easier to separate projects
• Substantially reduced heat radiation, since only the centre of the wheel is heated
• Ease of handling the heated wheel, since its flange only reaches about 50°C

QUICK HEATER™ MFU 320 WHEEL TYRE HEATER FOR RAILWAY WHEELS

Quick Heater™ MFU 320 is designed for heating the wheel tyres for railway wheels. This machine often has a short in-feed conveyor. The wheel tyres are heated to 250°C in about 15 minutes and are then transported automatically to the unloading conveyor for the assembly.

The Quick Heater™ MFU 320 is designed to be a part of an automatic production line where a fixed cycle-time is a condition. The short in-feeding table with the centring device is then connected to the conveyor in the line.

MONITORING THE HEATING PROCESS

The heating temperature in the Quick Heater™ is constantly monitored by an infrared pyrometer which gives signals to the PLC system. The heating power is regulated by a thyristor unit.

The Quick Heater™, with its quick and controlled heating, has proved to be superior in the railroad industries for the preheating of wheels and tyres for shrink fitting.