The Difference of Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace
After nearly 30 years of exploring the road of kilns in China, the process of smelting cast iron is not what it used to be.
The development process of its production has been fully proven. With the development of the manufacturing industry, cupola furnace technology has got rid of the disadvantages of the past, and now it appears in people’s lives in the form of safety, environmental protection, energy saving, and consumption reduction.
In developed countries with industrial kilns, a cast iron smelting system with large capacity, long furnace life, and external hot air cupola furnace as the main body has been formed. However, the current situation of small cupola furnace capacity, short furnace life, and normal temperature air supply in my country is still very common.
In recent years, China’s cupola smelting furnace has begun to embark on the development path of large capacity, long furnace life, and external hot air. The long furnace age and external hot air cupola with independent intellectual property rights that adapt to my country’s production conditions are meeting the requirements of foundry production. development needs.
The recommendation of the three ministries and commissions of the country pointed out the direction of the development of China’s cupola. China’s cupola smelting is moving towards the goal of energy saving, high quality and high efficiency, safety, and environmental protection at a relatively fast pace.
As smelting equipment, induction furnace has a history of decades in cast iron smelting and duplex smelting. China also has rich experience in manufacturing and applying industrial frequency furnaces and intermediate frequency furnaces. Remarkable progress has been made in many aspects. More and more manufacturers adopt induction furnaces for melting and heat preservation.
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace in Application
The melting mechanisms of cupola furnaces and induction furnaces are different, and the performance is quite different, so the adaptability to production is also different.
The types of iron castings (grade, output, machining requirements, etc.) and production methods, the types and states of furnace materials, as well as the level of smelting operations and production management, will put forward different requirements for the performance of smelting equipment.
Only when the performance characteristics of the smelting equipment are coordinated with the production conditions can a high-quality, high-efficiency, energy-saving, safe, and environmentally-friendly production process be achieved, and high technical and economic indicators can be achieved.
In cast iron smelting, do you use a cupola furnace or an induction furnace?
How to choose cupola furnace and induction furnace?
The correct decision can only be made after understanding the melting characteristics of cupola furnace and induction furnaces.
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace in Production Capacity
Cupolas and induction furnaces differ in their production capacity and adaptability to output.
At present, the melting rate of the cupola is from 1t/h to 100t/h, and if production needs, it can also be less than 1t/h and greater than 100t/h. For any type of cupola furnace, the melting rate can be adjusted within the corresponding range without affecting its normal melting, and the adjustment range can be increased or decreased by 10% to 20%.
Therefore, the output can meet the needs of any production scale. Since the comprehensive benefits of cupolas increase with the increase of melting rate, the comprehensive benefits of large capacity, long furnace life, and external hot air cupolas are higher, so cupolas are more suitable for mass production.
The induction furnace used for smelting can currently manufacture a single capacity of nearly 100 tons, which can meet the needs of large-scale production.
However, the expansion of installed power capacity is often an insurmountable obstacle for many enterprises. Therefore, induction furnaces are more suitable for small and medium-scale production.
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace in Product Types
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace adapts differently to the product.
The cupola furnace can melt cast iron, including gray cast iron, nodular cast iron, vermicular graphite cast iron, white cast iron, and some alloyed cast iron and iron alloys, and can also be used to melt certain stones.
The temperature of molten iron out of the cupola can be controlled at about 15500C, which can satisfy the casting of castings with a mass ranging from a few grams to tens of tons.
Induction furnaces can melt commonly used grades of steel and non-ferrous metals. As far as the production of iron castings is concerned, the adaptability of induction furnaces to products is better than cupola furnaces. Induction furnaces can melt a variety of high-alloy cast irons, such as high-chromium cast iron, while cupola furnaces cannot.
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace in Production Method
Induction Furnace VS Cupola Furnace’s adaptability to production methods is different.
The cupola furnace is continuously melting, and the molten iron flows out of the furnace continuously at a certain flow rate; while the induction furnace is intermittent melting, and the molten iron equal to the capacity of the furnace is provided at intervals.
It can be seen that for the production mode of parallel operation, the cupola is more suitable; and for the production mode of the stage work system, the induction furnace is more suitable.
The combination of multiple induction furnaces and the method of controlling the sequence of smelting and tapping can also be used in the production mode of parallel operation, but the combination of multiple induction furnaces will increase the energy consumption, supporting facilities, and floor area, and increase the burden of production management.