Inductoheat Inc. of Madison Heights, Mich., shipped a 600-kW, 3-kHz induction billet forge heating system to a supplier of automotive driveline components. This induction system for upset forging is capable of heating 1.5-inch to 3.0-inch-diameter and 7-inch to 15-inch-long billets at a nominal rate of 300 parts an hour. The power for this system is supplied by a 600-kW, 3-kHz InductoForge® module, which provides accurate control for true billet temperature uniformity.

The system, which was designed and built by Inductoheat, is comprised of several heavy-duty material-handling features. The start of this forging line is a 6,500-pound-capacity bin tipper that allows a bin of parts to be dumped into the step feeder for automatic refill. The billet step feeder provides continuous feeding of billets end to end on the conveyor feeding system. A billet magazine allows for precise control for the in-feed and exit-feed pusher assemblies, and an oval-type coil assembly accommodates eight billets to be heated in-line.