Preventing material contamination

The article discusses about process-optimised melting units with special beam control that enables the production of high-purity ingots with minimal loss. In addition, it allows easy maintenance and cleaning during material changes by the plant operator.

Due to their chemical properties, refractory metals have unique performance characteristics, which allow their use under extreme conditions, for instance in heat exchangers or another chemical apparatus engineering. Their material characteristics make refractory metals essential for electronic industry applications as well.

However, only limited melting processes are suitable for refining such materials. The high melting point and chemical reactivity exclude utilising ceramic crucibles, atmospheric melting conditions as well as most melting techniques. Electron Beam Melting (EBM) meets the higher temperature requirements as well as provides inert melting conditions.

Adapting to cleaning requirements

Nevertheless, furnace design and process need to be adapted for such dedicated requirements to match material purity and economical requirements. ALD Vacuum Technologies provides a specialised EBM service with its electron beam gun design that allows for precise power distribution, processoptimised material feeding, and refining, as well as selected superheating above 3.500°C. Thanks to an independent parameter control including power profile, melt rate, or vacuum level, the process is highly flexible and cost-efficient.

All parts of the plant in contact with the melt itself are removable or easy to reach, so cleaning can be carried out quickly during material changes. In addition, the company operates two furnaces for melting refractory metals for customers who do not have internal capacity available.