SKF induction heater halves coupling heating time

SKF South Africa and one of its authorised distributors, Citi Bearings Vereeniging, partnered to provide a heating solution to a major steel sector customer Citi Bearings Vereeniging was approached by a market leader in the South African steel industry for a bearing heater that is capable of heating couplings for which it recommended the SKF TIH 220m large induction heater. The SKF TIH 220m Induction Heater "The authorised distributor demonstrated a brand new unit at the customer’s site,” explains Eddie Martens, SKF Product Manager, MaPro. Recognising the induction heater’s impressive capabilities that will meet all the necessary requirements, the customer ordered the unit from Citi Bearings Vereeniging. In addition to working to the customer’s exact needs, the TIH 220m was also suitable for two of the company’s other sections’ requirements. The customer also reported that the induction heater has almost halved the heating time of the couplings from 2.5 hours to only 45 minutes which translates to tremendous time and cost savings. The TIH 220m forms part of SKF’s comprehensive, reliable and robust range of induction heaters that are suitable for most bearing heating applications. The unit is suited for heating bearings and solid components up to a maximum weight of 300 kg and 150 kg respectively. “The heater is capable of heating a 220 kg bearing in just 20 minutes,” adds Martens. The induction heater’s power electronics feature an advanced design that includes current and overheating control. The unit is supplied standard with two yokes allowing bearings with bore diameters from 60 mm to 600 mm. Further, the heater boasts a number of features that make the unit user-friendly, easy and safe to operate. These include a sliding or swivel arm, which allows for easy and quick replacement of bearings with a large size yoke. In addition to maximising uptime, operator fatigue is also reduced. The unique SKF remote control complete with operating display and control panel further adds to easy and safe operation. SKF, a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 15 000 distributor locations worldwide.