Levitating and melting apparatus and method of operating the same

A levitating and melting apparatus comprising:

• a crucible system including upper and lower crucible portions, said portions being divided along a substantially horizontal plane,
• said upper and lower crucible portions having a plurality of segments comprised of conductive metal, each segment being separated from another segment by insulating material;
• an induction coil disposed outside said crucible system;
• an AC power source for supplying current to said induction coil;
• a device for continuously charging conductive metal chips entering said upper portion of said crucible system;
• first driving means for changing relative vertical positions of said upper and lower crucible portions;
• first control means for controlling said first driving means;
• second driving means for changing relative vertical positions of said upper crucible portion and said induction coil;
• second control means for controlling said second driving means;
• an upper gas inlet device disposed on an upper section of said upper crucible portion, the upper gas inlet device including a gas pipe for flowing inert gas into said upper crucible portion;
• and
• a horizontal gas inlet device including a hollow tubular portion located between said crucible system and said induction coil, a gas outlet hole disposed on an inner face of said tubular portion, and a gas pipe for flowing inert gas into an inside of said hollow tubular portion.

A levitating and melting apparatus comprising:

• a crucible system including upper and lower crucible portions, said portions being divided along a substantially horizontal plane,
• said upper and lower crucible portions having a plurality of segments comprised of conductive metal, each segment being separated from another segment by insulating material;
• an induction coil disposed outside said crucible system;
• an AC power source for supplying current to said induction coil;
• a device for continuously charging conductive metal chips entering said upper portion of said crucible system;
• first driving means for changing relative vertical positions of said upper and lower crucible portions;
• first control means for controlling said first driving means;
• second driving means for changing relative vertical positions of said upper crucible portion and said induction coil;
• a molten level gauge for measuring vertical position of an upper face of melted conductive material;
• curvature calculation means for calculating curvature of said upper face of the melted conductive material based on a signal output from said molten level gauge;
• and
• second control means for controlling said second driving means to maintain the relative vertical positions of said induction coil and said upper crucible portion according to a signal from said curvature calculation means so that said second control means controls the curvature of said upper face.