Vacuum Melting of Metals:State-of-the-Art Assessment

摘要

This assessment of the state of the art of vacuum melting technologies as applied to melting and refining of metals has shown that:n(1) The largest markets for these technologies lie in areas where there is no competing technology (the production of metals with high chemical reactivity) or in areas where the benefits outweigh the added costs of vacuum processing (the production of superalloys).n(2) The economics of vacuum technologies in these applications indicate a steady demand for their continued use. Because of their mature nature, the projected growth appears to be small (no more than 5 percent yearly).n(3) Competition from other refining processes, electroslag remelting and ladle refining, does not appear to present a serious threat to their use.