Inductotherm Coating Galvannealing, Strip Coating Pots & UNIEDGE Systems

Inductotherm Coating Engineering Solutions for Strip Processing and Tube Mills

Within the global Inductotherm Group (founded by Henry M.

Rowan in 1953 in Rancocas, New Jersey, USA; first furnace built in 1954, first international plant in Australia in 1968; ISO 9001 certified since 1993, currently ISO 9001:2015; encompassing 40 companies, 50 product lines, 10 brands, and over 41,000 installations), the Coating & Strip Processing

division designs high-power induction equipment for continuous steel strip finishing lines.

These systems operate on continuous galvanizing lines (CGL), electrolytic tinplate lines, coil coating lines, and continuous annealing lines (CAL), complemented by sister Inductotherm Group brands Thermatool (high-frequency tube and pipe welding) and Consarc (vacuum induction and remelting

furnaces).

High-Frequency Galvannealing Systems with Patented Doorless Coil

To produce weldable, paint-adherent zinc-iron alloyed automotive body sheet (Galvanneal / GA), Inductotherm supplies high-frequency induction Galvannealing towers rated up to 5,000 kW positioned directly above the coating pot air knives.

Longitudinal solenoid induction heating rapidly elevates strip temperature after the zinc bath, driving controlled iron diffusion into the zinc layer.

A signature engineering innovation is the patented Doorless Coil.

Unlike conventional split coils that require unbolting heavy electrical contacts, the Doorless Coil allows rapid strip threading and lateral coil retraction on motorized shift frames without breaking high-current joints, while preserving the electrical efficiency of a continuous solenoid.

Coreless and Channel Strip Coating Pots, Pre-Melters, and Holding Pots

For melting and maintaining molten zinc, Galvalume (55% Al-Zn), and Galfan baths, Inductotherm manufactures ceramic-lined channel and coreless Coating Pots.

Channel pots utilize angled or side-mounted air-cooled or water-cooled inductors whose natural electromagnetic pumping action homogenizes bath temperature and alloy chemistry.

For multi-coating lines requiring rapid transitions between pure zinc and aluminum-zinc alloys, Coreless Coating Pots provide full bath flexibility.

Offline Pre-Melting Pots melt heavy jumbo ingots before launder transfer to prevent thermal ripples at the strip entry zone, while Temporary Holding Pots store molten metal during main pot relining.

STATITRON Tin Reflow Systems and Chrome-Free Coating Curing

On high-speed electrolytic tinplate lines for food and beverage packaging, Tin Reflow systems powered by STATITRON high-frequency transistorized inverters melt the matte electrodeposited tin layer in fractions of a second, producing a mirror-bright surface with a dense iron-tin intermetallic layer.

In chemical treatment and coil coating sections, induction strip heaters cure Chrome-Free / RoHS passivation films, anti-fingerprint coatings, primers, and topcoats. Because induction heats the steel substrate from the inside out, solvents evaporate outward without surface skinning or blistering.

UNIEDGE Automatic Edge Heating, 7,000 kW Boost Heaters, and UNIPAC Weld Annealing

During hot rolling and continuous processing, strip edges radiate heat faster than the center, causing edge microstructure defects.

The patented UNIEDGE automatic edge heater raises strip temperature by +50 °C within 50 mm of the edge without requiring mechanical width adjustment as strip widths change, while tolerating strip wander and camber.

To debottleneck radiant-tube annealing furnaces, Induction Boost Heating systems inject up to 7,000 kW using atmosphere-tight UNISEAL coils (installed inside protective furnace atmospheres) or split removable UNISTRIP coils (retractable offline without cutting the strip).

At entry sections, compact UNIPAC units anneal brittle strip butt-welds.

Thermatool HF Tube Welding and Consarc Vacuum Metallurgy

For welded carbon, alloy, and stainless steel tube and pipe mills, group brand Thermatool manufactures solid-state high-frequency welders equipped with HAZControl closed-loop heat input management, Mpower medium-frequency seam annealers for API line pipe, and Alpha high-speed flying cutoff saws.

For aerospace, power generation, and medical superalloys, group brand Consarc engineers Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM), Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR), Electroslag Remelting (ESR), and Vacuum Precision Investment (VPIC) skull melting furnaces with automated melt control.

OEM Doorless Coils, Coating Pot Inductors, and Inverter Spare Parts

To keep continuous strip processing lines and tube mills running at full capacity, we supply genuine replacement Doorless galvannealing coils, atmosphere-sealed UNISEAL and split UNISTRIP coils, air-cooled and water-cooled channel inductors with stainless steel bushings for zinc coating pots, and

UNIEDGE inductor heads.

Available power electronics spares for STATITRON, VIP, and Thermatool cabinets include high-frequency transistor and SCR thyristor modules, water-cooled resonant tank capacitors, output matching transformers, deionized water heat exchangers, flow switches, and digital fiber-optic control boards.