Bonding of Materials with Induction Heating

Apparatus for bonding the adjacent sides of two metal sheets together, the apparatus comprising:

• a U-shaped inductor assembly having a side opening into the interior volume of the U-shaped inductor assembly;
• at least one solenoidal induction coil embedded in at least the top and bottom of the U-shaped inductor assembly;
• at least one alternating current power supply connected to the at least one solenoidal induction coil;
• and
• a flat metal sheet containment enclosure comprising a first and second heat resistant plate, the first heat resistant plate having an indentation with sufficient height for at least seating the flat metal sheet in solid form in the indentation and a bonding metal in liquid form over the flat metal sheet, the second heat resistant plate having an interior protruding region, the interior protruding region removably insertable into the indentation to a depth sufficient to touch the top surface of the first metal sheet when seated in the indentation, the interior volume of the U-shaped inductor assembly having a height substantially equal to the height of the combination of the first and second heat resistant plates when the interior protruding region of the second heat resistant plate is inserted into the indentation of the first heat resistant plate.

A two-metal flat bonded article formed from a process comprising the steps of:

• seating a flat metal sheet in solid form in an indentation in a first heat resistant plate, the indentation having a perimeter substantially equal to the perimeter of the flat metal sheet;
• seating a second heat resistant plate over the first heat resistant plate containing the flat metal sheet so that an interior protruding region of the second heat resistant plate seats in the indentation in the first heat resistant plate over the top surface of the first flat metal sheet, the combination of the second heat resistant plate seated over the first heat resistant plate forming a flat metal sheet container;
• inserting the flat metal sheet container into a side-entry interior volume of a U-shaped inductor assembly having at least one solenoidal induction coil embedded in the top and bottom of the U-shaped inductor assembly, the side-entry interior volume having a height substantially equal to the height of the flat metal sheet container;
• supplying alternating current to the at least one solenoidal induction coil to inductively heat the first flat metal sheet;
• withdrawing the first flat metal sheet container from the side-entry interior volume of the U-shaped inductor assembly;
• removing the second heat resistant plate from the first heat resistant plate;
• placing a second metal in liquid form over the top surface of the first flat metal sheet;
• and
• bonding the bond metal to the top surface of the flat metal sheet as it solidifies.