Apparatus for melting metals under high vacuum

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR MELTING METALS, COMPRISING A FURNACE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR EVACUATING THE FURNACE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR VERTICALLY SUSPENDING WITHIN THE FURNACE CHAMBER A ROD OF THE METAL TO BE MELTED, AT LEAST ONE FIRST ELECTRON SURCE MOUNTED IN THE FURNACE CHAMBER IN AN ANNULAR HORIZONTAL ARRANGEMENT AROUND AND SPACED FROM THE METAL ROD, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE HORIZONTAL LEVEL O THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE, ELECTRON FOCUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE AND DEFINING A FOCUSING APERATURE LOCATED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE AND THE METAL ROD AND SUBSTANTIALLY IN A HOROZONTAL PLANE THROUGH THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD FOR CONCENTRATING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ELECTRONS EMITTED BY THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE ONTO THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD TO CAUSE METAL TO MELT AT AND DRIP OFF FROM THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD, A CRUCIBLE LOCATED WITHIN THE FURNACE CHAMBER AND BELOW THE METAL ROD FOR COLLECTING THE MOLTEN METAL DRIPPING OFF THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD AND FORMING A POOL OF THE MOLTEN METAL, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE POOL OF MOLTEN METAL AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND AT LEAST ONE SECOND ELECTRON SOURCE ARRANGED ABOVE THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE FOR PROJECTING ELECTRONS THROUGH THE FURNACE CHAMBER AND ONTO THE POOL OF MOLTEN METAL TO MAINTAIN THE METAL IN THE POOL IN A MOLTEN CONDITION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR MELTING METALS, COMPRISING A FURNACE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR EVACUATING THE FURNACE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR VERTICALLY SUSPENDING WITHIN THE FURNACE CHAMBER A ROD OF THE METAL TO BE MELTED, AT LEAST ONE FIRST ELECTRON SURCE MOUNTED IN THE FURNACE CHAMBER IN AN ANNULAR HORIZONTAL ARRANGEMENT AROUND AND SPACED FROM THE METAL ROD, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE HORIZONTAL LEVEL O THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE, ELECTRON FOCUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE AND DEFINING A FOCUSING APERATURE LOCATED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE AND THE METAL ROD AND SUBSTANTIALLY IN A HOROZONTAL PLANE THROUGH THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD FOR CONCENTRATING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ELECTRONS EMITTED BY THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE ONTO THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD TO CAUSE METAL TO MELT AT AND DRIP OFF FROM THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD, A CRUCIBLE LOCATED WITHIN THE FURNACE CHAMBER AND BELOW THE METAL ROD FOR COLLECTING THE MOLTEN METAL DRIPPING OFF THE LOWER END OF THE METAL ROD AND FORMING A POOL OF THE MOLTEN METAL, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE POOL OF MOLTEN METAL AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND AT LEAST ONE SECOND ELECTRON SOURCE ARRANGED ABOVE THE FIRST ELECTRON SOURCE FOR PROJECTING ELECTRONS THROUGH THE FURNACE CHAMBER AND ONTO THE POOL OF MOLTEN METAL TO MAINTAIN THE METAL IN THE POOL IN A MOLTEN CONDITION.