Seco-Warwick Europe, Poland, together with Retech Systems, Ukiah, Calif., have signed a contract for delivery of a comprehensive melt-shop equipment package to a new European facility for recycling aviation-grade titanium. EcoTitanium, launched in France in April, will provide the aerospace industry with a new titanium supply channel, independent of American and Russian sources.
The equipment package includes three metallurgical units: one plasma arc melting (PAM) furnace, two vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnaces, and associated equipment. Plasma melting systems have the proven commercial ability to consistently produce titanium alloy ingots and castings more efficiently than competing technologies. This is primarily because plasma melting systems operate under an inert gas atmosphere, which allows the alloy composition of the metal to be maintained easily with minimal evaporative losses, as opposed to other processes that operate in a vacuum.
The Retech PAM system fully integrates simple, robust mechanisms with proven melting systems and control techniques. The feed system consists of a proven rotary can feeder and vibratory chute combination that delivers turnings to the melt hearth. Also included is a bar feeder for feeding titanium scrap.
Once in the melt hearth, the material is thoroughly melted by Retech’s robust transferred-arc plasma torch. Material continues on to a series of refining hearths where both high-density and low-density inclusions are removed under the action of the plasma torches and the residence time provided by the refining hearths.
An ingot is formed within the water-cooled copper mold, on top of a matching water-cooled copper puller. As the puller withdraws out the bottom of the mold, the titanium alloy solidifies as new liquid continues to flow into the top of the mold. The system will be able to produce large ingots that will be then used as electrodes for the VAR system.
Two vacuum arc remelting furnaces Retech, each equipped with two melt stations, are designed to melt and refine titanium and titanium alloy final ingots. These ingots will be produced from fully dense electrodes produced by Retech’s Plasma Cold Hearth Melting process. New ingots will be formed in copper crucibles by melting the consumable electrode under vacuum conditions by the electric arc.
