| Popis: |
Induction heater is used in industry for heating and melting metals. It can potentially be used for printing metals structures in three dimensions (3D). In this paper, we present an experimental and simulation study on influence of workpiece height during heating and melting of lead-free solder (Sn99Cu1) using a zero-voltage switching-based induction heater. 2D axis-symmetric finite element method (FEM) simulations are conducted to study the influence of solder workpiece height relative to induction coil height. Results are compared with available theoretical models, used for calculating the power transfer to the solder. Three solder workpieces of varying height (45, 65, and 85 mm) are heated up to the melting point, and their temperature profile is measured using embedded thermocouple. The power transfer and heating rate from the experimental results, simulations, and theoretical model are compared with each other. While the simulation and experimental results match closely over the range of workpiece height covered, theoretical results match only for the case where height of workpiece is equal to height of induction coil. These differences are attributed to non-uniform magnetic flux density across the workpiece which was not considered in theoretical model. This study provides more insights into selection of efficient workpiece geometry for 3D metal printing using induction heating process. |
