Impeder
Impeders – often hidden from sight in the welding process, play the most important role in handling and directing the Induced Power in the yet un-welded Steel Tube.
The impeder directs the Induced Power to the yet un-welded strip edges by resisting the current flow across the circumference of the entire Tube. The inherent Skin Effect is exploited to the hilt to induce heat at the Strip Edges.
The efficiency and speed of the Welding Process relies heavily on proper Impeder selection.
Dimensions, Type of Cooling, Grade selection of the Ferrite Core, positioning of the Impeder are key design parameters.
The positioning of the impeder is taken care of in the Tube Mill design, however the Dimensions, Cooling and Ferrite Core Selection rest in the hands of the Tube Manufacturer.
Unfortunately, very minimal importance is placed on the Ferrite Core Section and the grades that are available. This creates inefficiencies in the welding process which are highly avoidable.
The life of the Impeder has a direction correlation with the Welding Process Up Time. More frequent changes in Impeders lead to more frequent Mill Stoppages, Tube Wastage, Lower Throughput and production disruption.
The Seam Quality and Surface Finish too have a correlation with Impeder Performance.
Please read our research finding on Ferrite Core Selection here
Unitherm has a large range of highly effective Impeders and Ferrite Cores.
Our team of experts will be happy to design and suggest the most optimal impeder for your application. Please do contact us.
P.S : With the advent of Direct Forming Technology by Industry leaders such as Rollform Equipment , there is an increasing demand for impeders for welding Square and Rectangular Tubes directly. At Unitherm we have a large range of Specially designed Impeders specifically for welding Section Tubes.