Manufacturing Inductive Cookware
With cold spray systems from Impact Innovations, firmly adhering metallic coatings with excellent mechanical properties can be produced. For example, aluminum cookware can also be coated in order to be induction-capable.
Why Inductive Cookware?
Induction cooktops are the most energy efficient way of cooking and have the advantage of providing immediate heat like gas cooktops.
Most pans nowadays are made of aluminum since it is light compared to heavy cast iron pans and are less expensive than stainless steel pans. But aluminum pans are non-ferromagnetic and thus do not work on induction cooktops. Therefore, aluminum pans require a ferromagnetic steel plate or coating at the bottom of the pan.
Currently Used Processes
The induction cookware market share continues to grow and becomes the dominant technology, however the quality of the heat transfer in conventional processes is insufficient. Conventional production methods for induction coating are e. g. brazed induction plates, thermal coatings or pressed perforated plates. These processes are time and energy consuming and there is nearly no flexibility in the processes.
Cold sprayed inductive layers of magnetic materials (e. g. ferritic steel) make aluminum cookware induction capable. By using these layers, the advantages of aluminum cookware can now also be used on induction cooktops. Cold spraying leads to a new quality in induction coating.
When cold spraying inductive cookware, very thin layers (< 1 mm) are possible. Consequently, the weight of the cookware is hardly changed by the coating. There is also no thermal separation layer between aluminum cookware allowing direct heat transfer without any losses.
The Cold Spray production process for inductive cookware is fully developed and automated enabling an easy integration into existing production flows (plug & play).
Podcast: Cold Spraying Inductive Cookware
Want to learn more about cold sprayed inductive cookware? Listen to the podcast "What's cooking?" from the Cookware Manufacturers Association:
- The most important information at a glance
- Best possible and even heat transfer
- No oxidation in coating layer due to no melting of metals
- Very low porosity and therefore very good thermal properties of the coating
- Superior bonding strength of the applied induction layer (no delamination or corrosion)
- Environmentally friendly process with low energy consumption
- Deposition efficiency of 95% (almost no waste)
- Variable pan diameters and pan shapes (even rectangular)
- High deposition rate of >10 kg/h
- Adjustable coating thickness and induction power
- Different choices for post-processing (as machining, grinding or surface activation)
Fully automated Cold Spray Cookware Coating Boxes
We are proud to announce the sale of three fully automated Cold Spray Cookware Coating Boxes to one of the US market leaders for aluminum pans. After having several manual cold spray coating lines installed in the past, the new Impact cold spray system design stands out through its high efficiency and flexibility.
With a deposition efficiency of 95% and changeover time below 1 second costs could be significantly reduced. On top of that the superior coating quality beats all other induction solutions with the best possible heat transfer and highest bonding strength that avoids any delamination or corrosion.
The Impact Cold Spray solution for induction cookware, provides full flexibility to variable pan sizes and desired coating thickness.
The adjustable induction power leads to full and flexible cost control depending on the required product category.
This way, the Impact Cold Spray Cookware Coating solution is suitable for all kind of cookware manufacturers from low-cost to high-end.
