Process Monitoring to Reduce/Eliminate Destructive Testing in Induction Heat Treating

摘要

Destructive testing for an induction heating process is expensive and time consuming. Reduction or elimination of destructive testing requirements are made possible by monitoring process parameters accurately and generating meaningful results quickly. This monitoring combines process sensors with computer hardware and software to accomplish this requirement. The sensors measure, typically, coil Kilowatts, coil current, coil voltage, and quench flow(s). These signals are input to an industrial PC running software that very quickly and accurately analyzes them. The monitor makes a decision on the status of the part while the part is still in the machine allowing machine shutdown and/or automatic reject as required. This system is successfully being used in production facilities around the United States. In one plant destructive testing has been reduced from one time per shift to one time per week.