VMR route consists of a VIM (Vacuum Induction Melting) process, followed by a secondary special metallurgic process for the re-melting of the VIM (but also EAF) ingot, as well as a VAR (Vacuum Arc Re-melting) and ESR (Electro Slag Re-melting), the latter available with different options, such as PESR (Pressurised ESR) and IESR (Inert ESR).
The role of such secondary special metallurgic processes is to increase soundness and homogeneity of the solidification structure of ingots, as well as to refine (VAR, IESR, VESR and ESR) or modify (PESR) the chemical composition of ingots.
Nowadays, important market sectors like aeronautic, aerospace, energetic, biomedical, dies/tool and automotive rely on special metallurgic processes to satisfy most specifications and, above all, to guarantee reliability and homogeneity of materials’ performances.
Although it involves higher production costs and consequently prices, a user’s economic advantage is confirmed by the increasing demand of products of special metallurgy.
Therefore the VMR (Vacuum Melting and Re-melting) route is becoming today more and more a common option for many alloy/steel makers who wish to obtain high quality products.
Our capability on Special Alloys and Melting Technologies is focused on four main areas:
Our capability is supported by a complete set of equipment, which allows us to study the entire development cycle of a new product, whether it be a wrought product, a casting product or a sintered product.
A melting technology used to manufacture high quality special steels and super alloys in the form of both ingots and near net shape castings.
A re-melting technology used to increase the quality of steel and alloy ingots in terms of soundness, segregation, impurities, inclusions and grain structure, by means of an electrical arc between the electrode and the baseplate of the new ingot which melts the tip of the electrode and forms the new ingot.
A re-melting technology used to increase the quality of alloy and steel ingots, by means of a current between the electrode and the growing ingot throughout a melted slag that allows melting the dipped part of the electrode into the slag.
A technology used to manufacture high-purity and round-shaped metallic powders. Typical applications are in the fields of thermal spraying technologies for coatings and of sintering technologies for sintered components.
A manufacturing line dedicated to prototypes and small series of casting in Ni base, Co base, Fe base, Cu base and Al base alloys, produced via conventional equiaxed structure (EQ) or directional, polycrystalline (DS) and monocrystalline (SC) structure.
The unit endowment consists today of two different pieces of equipment: 3D Systems Viper SI2, based on stereolithographic technique, and Eos Eosint M 250 Extended, based on powder laser sintering.
