Induction heating is a heating method which is based upon electromagnetic induction. Its advantage is that it can heat materials without contact with the source of energy.
The inductive heat is based upon the the generation low frequency alternating eddy currents due to the phenomenon of induction. The body to be heated is placed in a strong electromagnetic field. This electromagnetic field is created when current passes through a conductive material. This magnetic field will exert a force on the free electrons in the material thereby generating an electric current. The energy is then dissipated inside of the body because of its resistance as heat. Most well known example of this kind is induction cooking.
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This inductive heat is mainly used for heating plastics and metals. It is also used for tempering techniques, welding, metal smelting, for the sealing of containers or for the crystal pulling. Unlike induction heating, microwave ovens use dielectric loss at high frequency so that the metals container itself is not heated.
Inductively Coupled Plasma is a high-tech version of the induction process. It is used among others for the manufacture of the glass fiber. With this technique, one can heat the material up to 10,000 degrees, and without melting the production environment.