Electron beam multichamber high vacuum furnace

Claim 1

AN ELECTRON BEAM MULTIPLE CHAMBER FURNACE, COMPRISING A MELTING CHAMBER HAVING A TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES; A FLUID-COOLED CRUCIBLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MELTING CHAMBER; SUPPORT MEANS FOR FEEDING MELTING STOCK SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DOWNWARD INTO THE CRUCIBLE FROM THE TOP OF SAID MELTING CHAMBER, SAID MELTING STOCK AND SAID CRUCIBLE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION, SAID MELTING STOCK HAVING AN AXIS; ELECTRON BEAM PRODUCING AND DIRECTING ASSEMBLY MEANS POSITIONED IN A SIDE OF SAID MELTING CHAMBER FOR PRODUCING AND DIRECTING AN ELECTRON BEAM ONTO THE LOWER AREA OF SAID MELTING STOCK IN A DETERMINED PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAM THEREBY MELTING SAID MELTING STOCK TO PRODUCE A MELT POOL IN SAID CRUCIBLE AND FOR DIRECTING SAID ELECTRON BEAM OVER THE SURFACE OF SAID MELT POOL IN A DETERMINED PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAM, SAID ELECTRON BEAM PRODUCING AND DIRECTING ASSEMBLY MEANS COMPRISING AN AXIALLY SYMMETRICAL ELECTRON GUN POSITIONED TO SUPPLY AN ELECTRON BEAM AT AN ANGLE OF 50 TO 90 DEGREES WITH THE AXIS OF SAID MELTING STOCK AND ELECTROMAGNETIC DEFLECTION MEANS FOR DEFLECTING SAID ELECTRON BEAM ONTO SAID MELTING STOCK AND ONTO SAID MELT POOL IN SAID CRUCIBLE, SAID PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAM OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM ON SAID MELT POOL BEING ADJUSTABLE SEPARATELY FROM SAID PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAM OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM ON SAID MELTING STOCK IN A MANNER WHEREBY THE TIME THAT SAID ELECTRON BEAM IS ON EACH POINT OF SAID MELTING STOCK AND ON EACH POINT OF SAID MELT POOL IS ADAPTED BY SAID PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAMS TO THE AMOUNT OF HEAT REQUIRED, SAID ELECTRON BEAM FORMING A CAVITY IN THE LOWER AREA OF SAID MELTING STOCK, THE PERIODICAL DEFLECTION PROGRAMMED PATTERNS OF SAID ELECTRON BEAM FOR SAID MELTING STOCK AND FOR SAID MELT POOL MERGING AT THE AREA OF SMALLEST SEPARATION BETWEEN SAID MELTING STOCK AND SAID MELT POOL; AND VACUUM PUMPING MEANS FOR EVACUATING SAID MELTING CHAMBER AND SAID ELECTRON BEAM PRODUCING AND DIRECTING ASSEMBLY MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A HIGH VACUUM IN SAID MELTING CHAMBER AND SAID ELECTRON BEAM PRODUCING AND DIRECTING ASSEMBLY MEANS.