AES UK introduces more efficient, safer portable heat inductors

Garage equipment supplier AES UK has introduced a new range of portable heat inductors. Designed for the HGV, PSV and automotive sectors, the new products speed up workshop procedures, cut costs and improve safety, according to AES UK. It adds that the lightweight electrical heating inductors greatly improve working conditions for workshop technicians because they will not be exposed to open flame, hot gases and the risk of fire or explosion when using a flame.

AES adds that personnel training and wage costs are lower because there is no need for regular staff to work on autogenous and PB burners. The energy-efficient heating system also contributes to low operating costs by cutting out the requirement for gas and the associated equipment needed to operate it safely.

Go-Ahead London’s Repair Centre Manager, David Frost, is clear regarding the H&S advantages for his busy PSV service operation: “It’s so much safer than using a flame to heat up anything on the vehicle. For example, we recently straightened a front-bearer by applying heat right next to the electric wiring and air pipes, without affecting them in anyway. The bearer was pulled straight and the job completed in minutes rather than hours.”

Why induction heating?

Induction heating is the process of heating an electrically conductive component (usually metal) by electromagnetic induction, whereby a high-frequency alternating current is passed through an induction coil to create a magnetic field into which the item to be heated is placed.

Compared to flame heating, says AES, their heat inductors are safer, more easily handled, more cost-effective and kinder to the environment – to say nothing of the time they save removing seized-up components.

AES UK director, Tom Coad explains: “For example, the AES Hi3.5 (3.5kw) is ultra-portable, liquid cooled and uses variable heat settings to power a precisely focused coil for pin-point heat application. It really is speed and simplicity itself and virtually anyone can use it with minimum instruction. Also, our new website, www.inductionheaters.co.uk, is the first and only one of its kind with a dedicated induction heater online store.”

DA Tyres & Auto Director, Tony Degnan, says his operation is also benefiting greatly since they started using an AES heating inductor: “The heater is particularly useful for loosening seized-up nuts and bolts. It saves hours on certain jobs because we don’t need to replace parts or other connected components when fastenings are too stubborn to shift. This saves workshop time, saves our customers’ money and in turn, enables us to offer a faster and more affordable service.”

For HGV or PSV fleet operators with their own maintenance facility, a low-cost portable heat inductor is particularly useful when dealing with screwed joints, cases, bearings, hubs and seized wheel nuts because, say AES, any workshop technician can quickly move the equipment anywhere in the workshop to apply instant heat exactly where and when it’s needed.

“This piece of equipment is quite simply a Godsend,” says Alin Gabor, Transport Manager with Concrete haulage specialists Cris Transport. “It scores high in terms of safety, while enabling us to speed up routine maintenance and repair work such as seized up ball joints, chassis screws, casings and wheel nuts. Using gas, we would often have to cut away the seized component, which meant first removing any flammable materials or electrics that could be affected by the heat.”

AES UK says it will exhibit at this year’s ITT Hub transport show in Farnborough, from 30 June to 1 July, on stand number E34. Established in 2005, AES UK (Automotive Equipment Solutions) is the sole UK distributor of Josam products and provides commercial vehicle alignment and CV workshop equipment, along with on-site training, servicing and equipment calibration to operators throughout the UK.

^{*This text was altered on 2 June, 2021 at 13:10 to correct details of the new AES UK website and the date of the ITT Hub transport show.}