Materials production draws on Fluxtrol’s melting research. The legacy company text lists special metallurgy among the industries where its solutions are used, and the R&D description names cold crucible melting and crystal growth among its cooperative development areas.
Cold crucible melting
Cold crucible furnaces (CCFs) melt metals, oxides, glasses and other materials, and they are inherently three-dimensional, which makes them hard to model. Fluxtrol’s 2013 study reported that electrical efficiency was low, approximately 25-30% for metals and lower for some materials, and found that system-level optimization with magnetic flux controllers could improve it strongly. The theory was confirmed by laboratory mockups and industrial melting tests. See the paper and the cold wall crucible development paper .
A customer testimonial from Retech’s director of new product development states that Fluxtrol concentrators and design assistance improved the performance of its cold crucible melting furnaces, “very important for the advanced complex alloys being brought to market.”
Billet casting
A 2021 simulation study examined SMC inserts in a cold wall billet caster where titanium powder is deposited on a billet being slowly pulled through an induction coil, evaluating the effect on energy efficiency. A companion paper studied the temperature profile and as-cast grain structure of induction-heated billets.
Where this fits
Fluxtrol’s melting and stirring page describes the general application; crystal growth and material processing are separate application pages. A 1999-2000 patent on high frequency induction fusing is also listed in the patents table .
Next step
Contact Fluxtrol with your furnace or caster concept for simulation and flux controller design.
Melting research and customer feedback
Cold crucible furnace optimization
Cold crucible furnaces melt metals, oxides and glasses, but electrical efficiency for metals was about 25-30% or lower. Fluxtrol's simulation and lab tests showed that efficiency can be strongly improved by optimal design with magnetic flux controllers, confirmed by industrial melting tests.
- 3D simulation procedure
- Laboratory mockups and industrial tests
SMC inserts in cold wall billet casters
Simulation of a titanium powder casting setup where a billet is slowly pulled through an induction coil, studying the energy efficiency benefit of SMC inserts.
- Water-cooled caster fingers
- Computer simulation study