INLINE MELT CONTROL VIA RF POWER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide apparatus and methods for melting materials while controlling uniformity and temperature of the melt, and for containing the molten materials within a melt zone during melting without using a gate for physical blocking.SOLUTION: An apparatus may include: a vessel configured to receive a material for melting therein; a load induction coil positioned adjacently to the vessel to melt the material therein; and a containment induction coil positioned in line with the load induction coil. The material in the vessel can be heated by operating the load induction coil at a first RF frequency to form a molten material. The containment induction coil can be operated at a second RF frequency to contain the molten material within the load induction coil. Once the desired temperature is achieved and maintained for the molten material, operation of the containment induction coil can be stopped and the molten material can be ejected from the vessel into a mold through an ejection path.