Vacuum Melting : What Is VIM or VAR???
Our vacuum induction melting (VIM) or vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnaces are designed to develop new materials for melting metal alloys, glasses, silica, refractory materials, and oxidizing materials requiring high temperature ranges. Our melting applications cover the needs of laboratories and R&D centers to industries and small foundries with scale-able and modular solutions, and are also adaptable to investment programs.
ELABORATION OF MATERIALS
The melting and elaboration of materials with high added value, as well as the improvement of their physical properties, takes place in vacuum furnaces or under controlled atmosphere. Required technologies could be cold crucible (made of cooled copper or cooled stainless steel), hot crucible (graphite or other) or the use of susceptor or radiating muffle to heat materials. Consequently, cold electric insulating materials (ceramic, glass, enamel, silicon) can be treated within our induction furnaces. Solutions using plasma technologies can also be used to purify materials.
The ECM furnace range dedicated to the elaboration of materials covers a wide range of industries: metallurgy, refractory materials, aeronautics, nuclear and additive manufacturing.
ECM has developed different technologies from numerous R&D studies and discussions with industry partners. Resulting technological innovations are integrated in all our products using inductive technologies such as laboratory furnaces, VIM/VAR and CCIM furnaces, as well as foundry workshops. ECM masters the following technologies:
Cold crucible
Hot crucible
Conductive crucible
Atomizing tower
Under vacuum
Resistive technologies
FOCUS ON COLD CRUCIBLES
ECM can integrate cold crucibles within its induction furnaces to elaborate reactive materials. Cold crucibles are made of copper parts that are water cooled. A layer called auto crucible is a solid material resulting from the interaction on the crucible walls, prevents from the contamination of the melt and limits the crucible’s wear.
COLD CRUCIBLE ADVANTAGES
Elaboration of reactive materials at high temperature (up tp 3000°C)
Elaboration of high purity materials (no bath pollution by the crucible)
Excellent thermal and chemical homogeneity (thanks to electromagnetic brazing)
Long life expectancy (compared to ceramic crucibles)