L2-WMS-METAL
ESSENTIAL
RESOURCES
Level 2 · hardware
Metal Recovery
metal_recovery_system
Shredding, remelting, and refining system that recovers pure metals from sorted scrap, machining chips, and end-of-life structural components.
Purpose
Return scrap metals to manufacturing-grade feedstock, preserving the Ark's finite metal inventory across the full operational lifetime.
Context
Major material recovery pathway handling the largest waste volume, feeding recovered metals back to smelting and additive manufacturing as equivalent-grade feedstock.
Principles
- ▸Alloy-grade separation before melting preserves material properties
- ▸Vacuum remelting removes dissolved gases and volatile contaminants
- ▸Induction melting provides controlled temperature and composition adjustment
- ▸Chip compaction and briquetting improves melt yield from machining swarf
- ▸Refining steps remove tramp elements accumulated through recycling cycles
Typical implementations
- ▸Hydraulic shredder for size reduction of scrap components
- ▸Chip briquetting press for machining swarf densification
- ▸Vacuum induction melting furnace for alloy remelting
- ▸Electroslag remelting for high-purity refining
- ▸Spectroscopic melt analysis for composition verification
- ▸Ingot casting and atomization for powder production
Lunar considerations
- ▸Vacuum environment naturally supports clean remelting
- ▸Tramp element accumulation over 100 years of recycling cycles
- ▸Limited flux and refining reagent availability requires careful composition management
- ▸Energy cost of repeated melting factored into lifecycle energy budget
- ▸Recovered metal powder morphology may differ from virgin atomized powder
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Recover metals from scrap and return them as manufacturing-grade feedstock |
| inputs | sorted_scrap_metal, machining_chips, failed_metal_components |
| outputs | recycled_metal_ingots, recycled_metal_powder, slag_residuals |
| metal recovery rate | >99% by mass |
| alloy grade maintenance | within specification after recycling |
| tramp element control | below alloy specification limits |
| throughput | match scrap generation rate |
Physical
| materials | hydraulic_shredder_blades, induction_coils, refractory_crucibles, briquetting_press |
| melting zone | vacuum or inert atmosphere |
| shredding | enclosed pressurized area with dust collection |
| storage | sorted scrap bins by alloy grade |
Operational
| thermal range c | -173, 127 |
| lifetime years | 100 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Remelted and refined metal for blending with virgin material
- Re-atomized metal powder for additive manufacturing
- Remelted ingots for casting operations
Requires
- Alloy-grade sorted metal scrap
- Swarf and chips from CNC operations
- Power for shredding, melting, and atomization
Decomposes into
L3-WMS-METAL-SORT
Metal Stream Sorting
Eddy-current and XRF-based sorter separating ferrous, aluminum, copper, and exotic-alloy waste streams for targeted recy
L3-WMS-METAL-SHRED
Metal Shredder
Counter-rotating tungsten-carbide roller shredder reducing metal parts to chip/shred size suitable for downstream meltin
L3-WMS-METAL-MELT
Metal Melting Furnace
Induction furnace melting sorted metal streams for recycling into stock ingots used by L1-MFG manufacturing.
L3-WMS-METAL-CAST
Metal Ingot Casting
Cast mold stations forming recycled molten metal into standard ingots for L1-MFG manufacturing inventory.
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Metal Recovery" (L2-WMS-METAL). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L2-WMS-METAL
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.