Induction hardening is used for a variety of components such as crankshafts and camshafts, transmission components, rail heads for railroad tracks or large ring bearings for wind turbines. High-frequency alternating current induces a short-circuit current in the electrically conductive component, which heats the material in the surface layer of the workpiece in just a few seconds and thus specifically changes its properties.

The subsequent cooling process with a water-polymer solution fixes the desired material structure. The process can be applied to components from a few grams up to several tons, resulting in a wide range of requirements for the design and dimensioning of the system technology, energy consumption and process times. Compared to conventional hardening processes in ovens, the process saves up to 30 percent energy, as only the functional surfaces and not the material properties of the entire component are changed.

Dialog-capable system
Emsyst came into play in the context of Industry 4.0. "We wanted to make our systems more intelligent and capable of dialog with the environment," says Managing Director Frank Andrä, who was familiar with the Riempp solution from facility management. The focus was on improving the quality of the hardening process, being able to maintain the system remotely or diagnose wear preventively and provide customer-specific maintenance activities via remote maintenance. "Improving the energy balance was a second goal," says Andrä. "Emsyst serves us as a platform-independent interface that collects data via sensors, evaluates it using algorithms and thus provides new data and insights that we can use to optimize the process in a targeted manner and improve quality." The implementation runs parallel to the installation of a system, but can also be retrofitted relatively easily to existing systems. Inductotherm builds around 20 systems a year, with hardening accessories representing its core competence. The company develops and designs the system components itself.