The heat is on

Two of the world's leading experts in the field of induction heating – Ajax Tocco Magnathermic Corporation and Saet-Emmedi have joined forces.

Induction heating is a non-contact process based on the use of transformers. An induction power supply generates an AC current through a coil/inductor and when a workpiece is placed inside the coil it heats up via its electrical resistivity to the induced current flowing through it.

Ajax Tocco is a US-based company which has been in business since 1916 with a global support network of manufacturing and service centres including Birmingham in the UK. The business manufactures all types of induction heating equipment for melting, forging, heat treating, brazing, shrink fitting and welding. Basically, anything that uses induction technology to heat material, Ajax Tocco can build and support it.

The Birmingham service centre – Ajax Tocco International – was opened in 2004: “Here we have the UK's largest induction subcontract heat treatment facility, housing 17 different machines to harden or anneal almost any component our customers send us – from one-off prototypes to continuous batches from automotive first tier suppliers and OEMs,” affirms Ajax Tocco's product sales manager, Simon Cockfield.

“The facility also manufactures and repairs inductors and coils that are used for induction heating – anything from a machined crankshaft inductor to a huge coil for melting can be accommodated,” he continues. “This is all backed up by a spares department and a service department – there to provide support to our customers' induction heating equipment for their in-house production.”

Although offering a comprehensive subcontract service, Ajax Tocco is also a capital equipment manufacturer, offering a wide range of induction equipment for forging, brazing, melting, mass heating and heat treatment applications.

Further, the acquisition of Saet has strengthened the Ajax Tocco's group presence in manufacturing induction heat treating equipment, especially in Europe. This is Saet's speciality – producing highly sophisticated, state of the art machines, mainly for OEMs and first tier manufacturers – particularly for automotive transmission and steering components. Saet machines also offer real time monitoring via Inducontrol, a system, which provides remote access to the machines for troubleshooting and offsite monitoring.

Headquartered in Turin, Italy with service centres all over the world, Saet has produced over 4,000 machines since its creation in 1966 with many installed in the UK. Part of the group is Emmedi, a company at the forefront of pipe and tube welding and annealing using induction heating.

“Ajax Tocco and Saet machines are used to heat treat a vast range of components from barshafts, camshafts, crankshafts and stub shafts through to sprockets, steering racks, wheel hubs and roller bearings,” Mr Cockfield advises.

“However we believe that our real selling point is the all-round service we can provide: leading technology machines from either Ajax Tocco or Saet; a subcontract operation that customers can take advantage of either on a permanent basis or as a backup to in-house production when capacity is short or in the event of a breakdown; and a comprehensive aftersales service.

“Depending on production volumes, some customers will start by using our subcontract service and then progress onto buying their own machines. Prototypes and trials can therefore be carried out before a machine is actually purchased.”

But Ajax Tocco's service offering doesn't stop with the purchase of a machine. A team of skilled service engineers and an extensive range of spares are on hand to get machines back up and running as quickly as possible in the event of a breakdown. Inductor and coil repair is also offered.

Ajax Tocco
www.ajaxtocco.co.uk

Saet
www.saetemmedi.com