Zenergy Power Sells Next-Generation Induction Heating System to Major Supplier of Parts to Automotive, Building and Electrical Industries
Zenergy Power Inc., the U.S. operating unit of an international developer of commercial products based on high temperature superconductor (HTS) technology, announced selling a specialized metal processing system that employs powerful, energy-efficient magnets to preheat the raw materials used in manufacturing electrical and structural parts for a wide range of industries.
Induction heaters are used extensively to soften bulk metals prior to shaping them into parts that later are assembled in finished products. Heating a block of metal (called a billet) using electromagnets, the machines prepare raw materials to be mechanically extruded into predetermined shapes. Metal parts fashioned this way appear in everything from building materials, such as pipes and window or door frames, to small components used in computer, automotive and aerospace applications.
Zenergy’s HTS Induction Heater(TM) has been purchased by a global metal producer in Europe that supplies parts to market sectors including the automotive, building and construction, electrical, electronic and refrigeration/air conditioning industries. The multi-billion euro manufacturing firm has asked to remain unidentified for competitive reasons.
“By taking advantage of the unique properties of high temperature superconductors, we’ve engineered a highly energy efficient means of heating metal billets,” said Dr. Larry Masur, Zenergy’s Vice President of Business Development. “HTS materials conduct electricity with little or no electrical resistance, and they carry more than 100 times the current of copper wires the same size. These abilities enable magnets made of HTS wires to be far more effective at heating metal billets than conventional induction heaters.”
A study to be published next month shows the HTS Induction Heater achieves a heating efficiency of greater than 80 percent, compared to 50 percent for conventional equipment. Better energy utilization by the newer machines means they are less expensive to operate, while their more uniform heating of billets delivers higher quality and throughput for greater productivity.
The findings will be presented at ET ’08 Expo — the quadrennial conference of the educational foundation for aluminum extrusion technology — on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 3:45 p.m.
About Zenergy Power
Zenergy Power, publicly traded on the London stock exchange (AIM:ZEN.L), is a global developer and manufacturer of commercial products based on high temperature superconducting materials. Comprising three operating units in the U.S., Germany and Australia, Zenergy focuses on applications in the areas of renewable power generation, efficient energy distribution, and large scale, energy-intensive industrial processes.
Visit Zenergy Power at ET ’08 Expo, Booth 810, May 13-16, 2008, Orlando, Fla.