Induction Heater's any use ?

[sardine]

Anyone have any experience with these cheapo induction heaters from China ?

Any use for hot bending something like 16 mm mild steel round or 25 x 5 flat on a jig ?

It will run from my 6 kva generator.

1000W ZVS Low Voltage Induction Heating Board Module/Tesla Voil 12-50V 20A DIY | eBay

Maximum current 20A, maximum power 1000W. 24V input with no load current of 3A. 48V input with no load current of 6A. To increase the heat sink using a customized substrate as thick as 8.5mm! Cooling capacity is very powerful.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[500e]

Been looking as well but think the highest wattage you can find a PSU for is the way to go + water cooling for coil
Something like this, not a recommendation just something I book marked

2500W 50A ZVS Induction Heating Module High Frequency Heating Machine Melt Metal + 48V Coil

Only US$118.64, buy best 2500W 50A ZVS Induction Heating Module High Frequency Heating Machine Melt Metal + 48V Coil sale online store at wholesale price.

uk.banggood.com

 

[Kram]

I have one of the 2500w versions. A project collecting dust but I hope to get a round tuit soon. You pay a premium for the assembled (damaged in my case) pcb, you can actually get the parts slightly cheaper on ebay and do a better job if you wish..

I made several coils, watercooling and sorted out a 50v 60A power supply but it is collecting dust. need to make a proper enclosure and sort out high current connections (bought a load of dinse ready to fit). Initial tests it worked fine, heated screwdrivers and 20mm bar no problem, thats as far as I got and abusing two 6s 5A lipos in series Drained them fast!

It needs a stable high current 50v input for best results (3kw telecoms psu is ideal) . If the input is much higher, the peak voltage will overload the mosfets, from what I read. Output peaks around 200v and is a shock hazard.

A furnace is more fun but probably less well suited to bending work, better for melting.

A mains induction hob is not ideal, very different design, but potentially much cheaper power per £££ if you worked out how to modify it. I have one of those too (anodising projects, not allowed in the kitchen!)

 

[sardine]

I thought they were just plug and play into 240 v .

 

[Kram]

"Low voltage" and "12-50v" in the items title... The cheap ones are resonant Zero Voltage Switching types, quite simple and fragile designs really. However capacitors and mosfets are cheap to replace.

There are mains Phase Locked Loop units, costing far more. That will be the type sold.to automotive amd proper industiral users.

 

[123hotchef]

I thought they were just plug and play into 240 v .

My one does

 

[500e]

What one 123

 

[123hotchef]

What one 123

Let me pull it out the cupboard and check I may be wrong it may be 12v. I can't remember

 

[sardine]

Is an induction hob different or can it be salvaged and converted to a coil ?

 

[Kram]

Induction hobs are of the better PLL type. Needs a good knowledge of safety as the coil will be exposed. To generalise coil/ tank circuits can be 5x the input voltage, so 1kV is not impossible.
I have a cheap 50 quid amazon one but dont want to butcher that. If I had a scrap one Id play with it, but it'd involve a lot of reading first.

On my old phone I have some PLL induction circuit design pages bookmarked. Doesnt look too involved to build from scratch either.

 

[tom2207]

they have one in one of the places I work , the idea was to use it on manifold studs and nuts and the likes ,,, they are great at what they do , and they do have their uses ,,, If it was between one and oxy acet ,,, id take the gas ,,, so i certainly wouldnt be bothering with the diy version,.

 

[Kram]

I'd love oxy acet but its not practical if I had to pay for gas, rental and store it at home in a residential area.. vs a few electrons added to the bill.

 

[tom2207]

I'd love oxy acet but its not practical if I had to pay for gas, rental and store it at home in a residential area.. vs a few electrons added to the bill.

yep even with rent free gas , its the storage ,,, but gas kit can be bought for pennies in the pound ,,,,so if you were paying 4 or 5 hundred for an induction heater from the shop the two are not that far apart .

 

[123hotchef]

What one 123

Ok I lied. It is 12v I made jump leads so I can use it from the car I am working on battery.

 

[tom2207]

Ok I lied. It is 12v I made jump leads so I can use it from the car I am working on battery.

View attachment 368622 View attachment 368623 View attachment 368624

what could possibly go wrong lol

it does look interesting though

 

[123hotchef]

what could possibly go wrong lol

it does look interesting though

its hand held and portable now! works great on rusty bolts where u dont want to get the proper fire out!

 

[Kram]

Would the bullet connectors or icecream tub melt first?

Btw get some fibreglass sleeving for the coil, much safer to use.

Mine is a similar stage of completeness.. last post I can find on it happens to be the first test with it..

Stuff you have made today

I made this, a rusty mess, dug out from behind a leaking core plug in my Essex motor... I then took all four accessible ones out and dug/washed a load more out, then used a stick magnet to get the rest out. Rust is magnetic, you know.:) Reminds me of when the Escort froze up one winter...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

Also have a read here. As I said its cheaper to build than the chinese ones.

Royer ZVS Induction Heater

Published 18. January 2013. Updated 3. August 2021. Introduction The Mazilli ZVS flyback driver is well-known throughout the high voltage community for its simplicity and ability to deliver 20-50 k…

kaizerpowerelectronics.dk

 

[123hotchef]

Btw get some fibreglass sleeving for the coil, much safer to use.

where do I get that from?

 

[tom2207]

where do I get that from?

I thought it was silica

High Temperature Sleeving

Textile Technologies Europe Ltd supply an extensive range of manufactured high-temperature sleeving solutions designed to protect hoses, cables, pipes, and machinery in harsh industrial environments.

www.textiletechnologies.co.uk

I used to use it on lamp cables inside intelligent lights ,,,

 

[Kram]

From here but check what diameter you need. Ive made a few extra coils so I got a few different sizes.

Fibreglass High Temperature Sleeving 6mm | eBay

The fibreglass has a silicone coating over that prevents if from getting wet. Fibreglass Sleeving 6mm. PICK UP OPTION. Co² Carbon Dioxide Sensor for Gas Interlock System. You might also like.

www.ebay.co.uk