An extension of the machine periphery to, for example, a hydraulic system is therefore not necessary. By means of a pneumatic clamping mechanism integrated in the tool interface, necessary media for the inductive hardening process, such as current (up to 4,000 A), cooling water (2 x 20 l/min) and quenching agent (1 x 100 l/min) can be safely provided from the machine to the inductor. The connection of the inductor via the interface with the machine is carried out in a two-stage clamping operation, which allows the transfer of the inductor from an external handling unit to the interface in the first step. The actual connection of the inductor with all media interfaces is done in the second step with a single stroke of the clamping system, whereby the tool change is completed within a few seconds. Depending on the external handling system, very short set-up times can thus be generated. By means of integrated monitoring devices, individual states of the clamping process can be queried and thus a secure connection between hardening machine and inductor can be guaranteed. Even if the pneumatic pressure drops during the hardening process, the clamping pressure can be maintained by the self-holding of the system.
For induction hardening, maintaining a defined coupling gap between the workpiece and the heating conductor is of central importance for the hardening result. In order to achieve the same hardness results for every component to be hardened, a reproducible positioning of the heating conductor must be assured. With the aid of a backlash-free locking system, the positioning accuracy of less than 70 μm is achieved, thus keeping the hardening process within a defined process window. In addition, the automated inductor change is combined with an automated probing for the coil-to-workpiece air gap before processing the first part in the machine.
_{(Source: SMS Elotherm GmbH)}