Can crucible furnaces be used for powder metallurgy?

Crucible furnaces can be used for powder metallurgy. In the field of powder metallurgy, crucible furnaces play an important role, mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. Used for melting specific alloys
Melting of Ti2AlNb alloy: During the melting of Ti2AlNb alloys (such as Ti-22Al-25Nb, Ti-23Al-25Nb, etc.), due to the high density and melting point of Nb element in the alloy, segregation is prone to occur, while the volatilization of Al element causes significant heat loss, making it difficult to ensure accurate and uniform alloy composition. The use of water-cooled copper crucible vacuum induction furnace (ISM) melting can effectively control the volatilization and burning loss of Al element, and maintain a non-contact state between the copper crucible and the melted alloy, avoiding contamination of the melt and improving the purity of the alloy.

2. Support powder metallurgy process
Near net forming technology: Powder metallurgy, as a near net forming technology, has been widely used in alloy preparation in metallurgy, machinery, aerospace, and national defense fields in recent years. The crucible furnace can provide the necessary high-temperature environment for powder metallurgy processes, supporting the melting and sintering processes of alloys.
Composition uniformity: Compared with traditional melting and casting processes, alloys prepared by powder metallurgy do not exhibit large-scale element segregation and can achieve higher composition uniformity. The use of crucible furnaces helps to maintain this advantage and ensure the stability of alloy quality.

3. Suitable for various crucible materials
Crucible material selection: The crucible furnace can choose different materials of crucibles according to the needs of powder metallurgy processes, such as graphite crucibles, alumina crucibles, molybdenum crucibles, etc. These crucible materials have different high-temperature stability, corrosion resistance, and thermal conductivity, which can adapt to the melting and sintering requirements of different alloys.
Extending service life: For example, in rare earth smelting, using molybdenum crucibles made of specific materials (such as F4200J new materials made by adding rare earth cerium oxide and other trace elements) can improve corrosion resistance, increase high-temperature strength, and extend the service life of crucibles, thereby improving the quality of rare earth metal products.