How to Make an Induction Heater? Detailed Guide for Beginners in 2023

Imagine you are working in your garage, and all of a sudden, you need to heat a metal object, but you do not have anything that can heat up the metal. So, you should always keep an induction heater to be prepared for such situations.

The best thing is you can make an induction heater on your own. If you do not know how to make an induction heater, there is nothing to worry about. This article is designed in a way that you can have complete guidance on how to make an induction heater.

Induction heaters are one of the most effective methods for heating metal items, particularly ferrous metals. The nicest feature about this induction heater is that no physical contact with the object is required to heat it.

So, let’s see how to make an induction heater. After reading the whole article, you will be able to make an induction heater on your own.

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What is an Induction Heater?

An induction heater is a critical piece of equipment that is used in induction heating. Induction heating uses a powerful magnetic field to heat a conductive body without touching it. An induction heater is made up of four basic component systems:

1. The control panel
2. Power inverter
3. Inductor
4. Transformer

Induction heaters with a coil directly pulled from the electricity supply, such as those with a supply frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, are often used in low-power industrial applications.

How does an inductor heater work?

• The inductor receives AC power.
• The inductor produces a magnetic field.
• A current is induced in the portion by the magnetic field.
• The current passing through the part creates heat.

Procedures of How to Make an Induction Heater

Step-1

We will use a battery/power source with a 12v DC output, which is not enough to generate induction. So, the task at hand is to transform this DC voltage into Alternating Current, which will result in induction.

As a result, we need to create an Oscillator circuit that generates an AC output with a square wave frequency of around 20 kHz. To switch the current in an alternate direction, the circuit employs four IRF540 N-Channel MOSFETs.

We need to employ a pair of MOSFETs in each channel to properly manage greater currents. Then we will require a printed circuit board (PCB).

Step-2

Begin gathering the PCB with little complementing components such as resistors and a few diodes. Make sure you install the correct component in the correct location on the PCB, as well as the diodes in the correct orientation.

Step-3

If you need to manage a lot of currents, use N-Channel MOSFETs. On either side, we can utilize a pair of IRF540N MOSFETs. Each one is rated at 100Vds with a constant current drain of up to 33 Amperes.

As we will be using 15VDC to run this induction heater, 100Vds may seem excessive, but it isn’t because the spikes created during high-speed switching can rapidly exceed those limitations. As a result, it is preferable to choose a Vds rating that is even higher.

Add aluminum heat sinks to each of them to disperse excess heat.

Step-4

The capacitors are crucial in maintaining an acceptable output frequency, which in the case of induction heating is recommended to be about 20KHz. The conjunction of induction and capacitance produces this output frequency.

As a result, you may compute your desired combination using an LC frequency calculator. It’s nice to have higher capacitance however, bear in mind that the output frequency should be about 20 kHz. So, use WIMA MKS 400VAC 0.33uf non-polar capacitors.

Step-5

Get a high current inductor.

Step-6

Install a 12v PC fan immediately above the aluminum heat sinks with hot glue to disperse the heat from the MOSFETs. Connect the fan to the input terminals.

Because we will be utilizing a 15VDC supply to operate this induction heater, we will need a 10-OHM 2watts resistor to bring the voltage down to a safe level.

Step-7

Build a pair of hatches on the printed circuit board with an angle grinder to link the out coil to the induction heating circuit. After that, disassemble an XT60 Connector and utilize its pins for output terminals.

Step-8

A copper pipe with a diameter of 5mm is used to make the induction coil, which is typically seen in refrigerators and air conditioners. You can use a cardboard roll with a diameter of approximately an inch to wind the output coil precisely.

Give the coil eight twists to obtain a width that will fit perfectly in the output bullet connectors. Once you have finished winding the coil, ensure that there are no gaps between the sidewalls of two successive turns. You will need 3 feet of copper pipe for this coil.

Step-9

Now you need to power the induction heater. To do so, you can use a server supply rated 15 volts and capable of delivering up to 130 amps of electricity. However, any 12v sources like a computer power supply or a car battery can be used.

Make sure that the input is connected to the correct polarity.

Step-10

Without anything within the coil, this induction heater draws roughly 0.5 Amp current when powered at 15 volts. Put a wooden screw for the trial run, and it will begin to smell as though it is heating up. It becomes red hot in less than a minute.

Overall, induction heating appears to be a viable approach to effectively heat a ferrous metal rod while also being less harmful than other ways.

This kind of heating may be used to accomplish a variety of tasks.

How to make an Induction Heater (Like a professional one)

Final Words

When you think of heating metals, the first thing that might come to your mind is an induction heater. Induction heaters are quite useful in the case of heating metals. In this article, we tried to cover all the necessary aspects of making an induction heater.

I hope you got a pretty good insight on how to make an induction heater. You can make an induction heater just by following the steps that have been described above.