| US 7,540,316 B2 | ||
| Method for inductive heating and agitation of a material in a channel | ||
| Wayne N. Collette, Merrimack, N.H. (US); Kyle B. Clark, Underhill, Vt. (US); Valery Kagan, Colchester, Vt. (US); and Stefan von Buren, Colchester, Vt. (US) | ||
| Assigned to iTherm Technologies, L.P., Merrimack, N.H. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 16, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/505,022. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0041551 A1, Feb. 21, 2008 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. B22D 17/10 (2006.01); B22D 27/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 164—113 [164/312; 164/493; 164/900; 219/644] | 23 Claims |
| 1. A method of heating a material located in a channel, the material having a melting range between a solidus temperature
and a liquidus temperature, the method comprising:
providing a channel comprising a tubular passage or conduit for a flowable material and
providing an internal inductive heating assembly in the material in the channel, the assembly being surrounded by a relatively
narrow width of open channel area;
supplying a signal to the assembly to generate a magnetic flux in the assembly and/or the material, the magnetic flux generating
inductive heating of the assembly and/or material and the magnetic flux generating a physical agitation in the material and/or
in the assembly and being transmitted from the assembly to the material which lowers the solidus temperature of the material
to a reduced solidus temperature; and
wherein the material in the open channel area is heated from a nonflowable state to a flowable state.
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