Apparatus for producing fine metal balls

An apparatus for producing fine metal balls comprising (a) a melt-ejecting means comprising a melt-ejecting crucible for holding a metal melt and equipped with orifices for ejecting said metal melt, a pressure-controlling means for controlling the pressure of said melt ejected through said orifices, and a vibration means for giving vibration to said melt;

• (b) a melt supplier comprising one or more melt supply crucibles for holding said melt, and one or more conduits connecting said melt supply crucibles to said melt-ejecting crucible;
• and (c) a solidification chamber in which melt droplets ejected through said orifices are solidified while dropping, wherein said vibration means comprises a vibration rod for giving vibration to said melt held in said melt-ejecting crucible, a vibrator for giving vibration to said vibration rod, and a means for transmitting the vibration of said vibrator to said vibration rod, said vibration-transmitting means having one end in contact with said vibrator and the other end abutting a support member connected to said vibration rod, and said vibration-transmitting means having a cross section decreasing as it nears said support member.

An apparatus for producing fine metal balls comprising a melt-ejecting means comprising a crucible for holding a metal melt and equipped with orifices for ejecting said metal melt, and a vibration means for giving vibration to said melt;

• a chamber in which melt droplets ejected through said orifices are solidified while dropping;
• said apparatus further comprising a heat-exchanging means for controlling the temperature of an atmosphere inside said solidification chamber, wherein said vibration means comprises a vibration rod for giving vibration to said melt held in said melt-ejecting crucible, a vibrator for giving vibration to said vibration rod, and a means for transmitting the vibration of said vibrator to said vibration rod;
• said vibration-transmitting means having one end in contact with said vibrator and the other end abutting a support member connected to said vibration rod, and said vibration-transmitting means having a cross section decreasing as it nears said support member.