{"id":14611,"date":"2026-08-10T12:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T12:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jstconsultancy.cz\/?p=14611"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:28:28","slug":"vim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intelligent-kalam.80-240-27-133.plesk.page\/en\/vim\/","title":{"rendered":"VIM"},"content":{"rendered":"

VIM<\/strong> stands for Vacuum Induction Melting<\/strong>. What is it good for? To put it in layman’s terms, for everything. Virtually any material can start with this process. VIM<\/strong> covers a very wide range of Fe-, Ni- and Co-base alloys; for highly reactive and refractory alloys Ti, Nb, Hf<\/strong> or Ta,<\/strong> its variant with cold crucible \u2013 CCIM<\/strong> is used.\u201d<\/p>\n

17-4PH, Inconel 718, Inconel 625<\/strong>, alloys of the Hastelloy X<\/strong> type, Waspaloy<\/strong>, Haynes 282, C103<\/strong>. Just look at the standards for aviation materials, such as AMS 5662, AMS 5663<\/strong> for Inconel 718,<\/strong> or AMS 5622, AMS 5643 <\/strong>for 17-4PH,<\/strong> etc. The greatest application can be found in materials for aviation or space applications, but it is also an indispensable technology in the development of new materials.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fig 1<\/u><\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Comparison of selected aviation alloys from the perspective of laboratory VIM<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And what does such a device look like? In essence, it is a vacuum vessel with a pumping system from 10-3<\/sup> mbar to 10-5<\/sup> mbar (Fig. 2). For a universal research device, the ability to achieve a high vacuum of up to 10\u207b\u2075 mbar is advantageous. However, the actual working pressure depends on the molten alloy. If a high vacuum is required, the device is supplemented with a turbomolecular or diffusion pump. To limit the evaporation of more volatile alloying elements, the actual melting can be carried out at a controlled partial pressure of high-purity argon.<\/p>\n

If the VIM<\/strong> is to be used for scientific purposes, it is recommended to check the residual atmosphere, either with a mass spectrometer or RGA<\/strong> (R<\/strong>est G<\/strong>as A<\/strong>nalyser) or with an OPTIX<\/strong> gauge from Gencoa<\/strong>. A classic RGA<\/strong> may require its own differentially pumped sampling system at higher process pressures. Optix<\/strong> operates directly in a significantly wider range of process pressures and is therefore a structurally simpler solution for such a research furnace<\/p>\n

The operating temperature can be varied, ECM<\/strong> supplies these devices up to 3,000\u00b0C. Such a high temperature range is especially important for Nb- and Ta-base refractory alloys, such as C103 and other refractory alloys<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fig. 2<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Overview of VIM<\/strong> from ECM<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Fig. 3<\/u> <\/strong>\u2013 Internal arrangement of the chamber with a melting crucible and induction heating<\/em><\/p>\n

The internal arrangement looks simple at first glance, but it is not (Fig. 3). It consists of a crucible, induction heating and electromagnetic mixing of the bath, a tilting mechanism, a pouring path, and a casting mold, e.g. copper, water-cooled. The chamber may also contain a mold manipulator for manipulating the mold to set it against the flow of the melt (mold manipulator) or a device for sampling or adding alloying elements. In order to keep the process under control, an internal camera and an optical pyrometer are advantageous.<\/p>\n

The crucible itself can be made of various materials, depending on the molten metal. For example.<\/p>\n