text: Induction heating is a non contact heating process which uses the principle of electromagnetism induction to produce heat in a work-piece. In this case thermal expansion is used in a mechanical application to fit parts over one another, e.g. a bushing can be fitted over a shaft by making its inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft, then heating it until it fits over the shaft, and allowing it to cool after it has been pushed over the shaft, thus achieving a shrink fit. By placing a conductive material into a strong alternating magnetic field, electric current can be made to flow in the metal thereby creating heat due to the IR losses in the material. The current generated flows predominantly in the surface layer. The depth of this layer being dictated by the frequency of the alternating field and the permeability of the material. Induction heaters for shrink fitting fall into two broad categories: 
  *  Mains frequency (MF) units using magnetic cores (iron)
  *  Solid state MF and radio frequency (RF) heaters