Vacuum arc remelting processing

A vacuum arc remelt apparatus comprising:

• a crucible having a side wall, said side wall having an interior and an exterior opposite said interior, a bottom plate coupled to said side wall;
• an electrode coupled to a stinger, said stinger coupled to a ram configured to translate said electrode within said crucible;
• an ingot between said electrode and said bottom plate between said side wall proximate the interior, wherein said electrode forms a melt pool and a crown and a shelf responsive to an electrical arc with said ingot;
• and
• a mobile vibration source coupled to said exterior and configured to move along the crucible exterior to optimize the influence on the crown and shelf to control the nucleation and growth mechanics of formation of the crown and shelf.

A process for vacuum arc remelting comprising:

• inserting an ingot between an electrode and a bottom of a crucible of the vacuum arc remelt apparatus, said crucible comprising a wall having an interior and an exterior, said wall being adjacent said bottom;
• melting said electrode with an arc between said electrode and said ingot;
• forming a melt pool on top of said ingot proximate said electrode;
• vibrating a crown and shelf proximate said melt pool with a vibration source;
• said vibration source structurally aligned adjacent to the crown and shelf coupled to said crucible proximate said exterior;
• and
• breaking up the materials of the crown and shelf during the operation of the vacuum arc remelt apparatus with said vibration source.