Metal Melting Furnace
Induction Furnace for Alloy Recycling Melt
The induction furnace for alloy recycling melt is a 200-kilogram system that processes sorted metal streams into stock ingots at throughputs up to 10 kilograms per hour. Housed in an Inconel shell with a copper induction coil and magnesia refractory crucible, the unit reaches temperatures up to 1700 °C at a power consumption of 10,000 watts. While the ambient lunar vacuum naturally prevents melt oxidation, operating the furnace requires rejecting an approximate 5-kilowatt thermal load into settlement thermal control systems. Direct induction heating and gravity slag separation maintain per-alloy charge specifications across a 20-year design lifetime.
Induction furnace melting sorted metal streams for recycling into stock ingots used by L1-MFG manufacturing.
Purpose
Induction furnace melting sorted metal streams for recycling into stock ingots used by L1-MFG manufacturing.
Context
Child of L2-WMS-METAL within the Lunar Ark system
Principles
- ▸Induction heating couples directly to metal — no combustion required
- ▸Per-alloy charge recipe maintains material specs
- ▸Vacuum melt environment naturally lunar-compatible (no oxidation)
- ▸Slag separation via gravity skimming
- ▸Refining additives (deoxidisers, grain refiners) as needed
Typical implementations
- ▸Industrial vacuum induction melting (terrestrial)
- ▸Aerospace alloy recycling foundries
- ▸NASA In-Space Manufacturing studies
Lunar considerations
- ▸Vacuum melt eliminates oxidation slag (huge advantage over terrestrial)
- ▸Heat rejection to L1-TCS — significant load (~5 kW)
- ▸Long-life refractory liner
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Induction furnace melting sorted metal streams for recycling into stock ingots used by L1-MFG manufacturing. |
| throughput kg per hour | 10 |
| max temperature c | 1700 |
Physical
| mass kg | 200 |
| materials | Magnesia refractory crucible, Cu induction coil, Inconel furnace shell |
| vacuum compatibility | True |
Operational
| power consumption w | 10000 |
| thermal range c | -40, 70 |
| lifetime years | 20 |
| mtbf hours | 30000 |
Interfaces
Provides
- Molten metal for casting
- Recycled stock feed
Requires
- Shredded metal feed
- Induction heater (~10 kW)
- Heat rejection
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Metal Melting Furnace" (L3-WMS-METAL-MELT). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-WMS-METAL-MELT
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.