Claims
- 1. A baking method in a vacuum induction melting apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing the vacuum induction melting apparatus comprising a vacuum vessel, an induction heating metal crucible placed in the vacuum vessel, an induction heating coil surrounding the crucible and an externally-installed hot and cooling water supply unit, wherein the vacuum vessel, metal crucible and heating coil each have a water-passage space therein; and
- supplying circulating hot or cooling water in said water-passage spaces of each of the vacuum vessel, the metal crucible and the induction heating coil.
- 2. The baking method of claim 1, wherein the circulating water from the hot and cooling water supply unit is high-temperature water when the inside of the melting apparatus is baked, and low-temperature water when a material to be melted is induction-heated in the crucible.
- 3. The baking method of claim 2, wherein prior to switching circulating water supplied to the water-passage space of each of the vacuum vessel and the coil from hot water to cooling water or from cooling water to hot water the resident water is discharged from the space by introducing compressed air into the space.
- 4. The baking method of claim 3, wherein the baking is carried out by holding the temperature of the circulating hot water at 60.degree. C. or higher.
- 5. A vacuum induction melting apparatus, comprising:
- a vacuum vessel having a double jacket structure which is heated by circulating hot water supplied from an externally-installed heat exchanger;
- a melting furnace in the form of a high-frequency induction heating type metal crucible that is water-cooled and a high-frequency induction coil that is wound around the crucible and is water-cooled;
- a vacuum pump capable of producing a total pressure within the vacuum vessel at 1.times.10.sup.-8 Torr or lower;
- a control-gas introducing port for regulating the atmosphere within the vacuum vessel.
- 6. The vacuum induction melting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the metal crucible and the high-frequency induction coil are cooled by circulating water supplied from the heat exchanger.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
8-264580 |
Oct 1996 |
JPX |
|
8-268729 |
Oct 1996 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of nonprovisional application Ser. No. 08/943,186 filed Oct. 3, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,077.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5974077 |
Abiko et al. |
Oct 1999 |
|
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
943186 |
Oct 1997 |
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