Rich Waugh -
Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - 11:48am
I don't know of a supplier for an electric furnaqce for melting aluminum, except for rather pricey induction furnaces. Unless you're running such an induction furnace for the speed and ability to run in an inert atmosphere, I can't see the value in an electric furnace. Why burn fuel oil to make steam to drive a turbine to generate electricity, when you can just burn the fuel to melt the aluminum and avoid all the losses?
Gas melting furnaces are dead simple to build, and cheaper than electric to both build and run. Electric furnaces can be built too, using firebrick or refractory fiber and nichrome coil elements, but the expense is higher and they're trickier to get right and to maintain, too. Is there a reason you want an electric furnace?
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I don't know of a supplier
I don't know of a supplier for an electric furnaqce for melting aluminum, except for rather pricey induction furnaces. Unless you're running such an induction furnace for the speed and ability to run in an inert atmosphere, I can't see the value in an electric furnace. Why burn fuel oil to make steam to drive a turbine to generate electricity, when you can just burn the fuel to melt the aluminum and avoid all the losses?
Gas melting furnaces are dead simple to build, and cheaper than electric to both build and run. Electric furnaces can be built too, using firebrick or refractory fiber and nichrome coil elements, but the expense is higher and they're trickier to get right and to maintain, too. Is there a reason you want an electric furnace?