This Remote-Controlled Arc Furnace Safely Melts Steel and Ceramic

Melting and pouring molten materials, like steel, is pretty dangerous. For casting, steel must be heated to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500°C. Accidental spills are, of course, a concern. But more unpredictable accidents can happen as a result of sputtering that happens if cooler material enters the mix. That happened to Hyperspace Pirate with devastating results, so he built this remote-controlled arc furnace to more safely melt steel and ceramic.

Hyperspace Pirate started this project after suffering an accident that caused molten steel to land on his head. He was wearing a respirator mask and goggles that protected most of his face, but his scalp was severely burned. That required skin grafts and, as you would expect, Hyperspace Pirate is now very serious about safety.

The best way to be safe when doing this work is to stay far away from the hot stuff. To that end, this machine is able to do the heating and pouring under remote control, so Hyperspace Pirate can remain at a safe distance.

The heating part of this machine is simple and should be familiar to those of you who do this kind of work. It is an indirect arc furnace, which heats material (even material that isn’t conductive) by producing an electrical arc nearby.

The movement is a little more complex, with three motorized axes. Two, the X and Z axes, move the electrodes up and down, and one electrode closer to and further from the other. The other axis tips the crucible by winding a wire on a spool, similar to a winch.

Instead of a complicated radio-based remote control, Hyperspace Pirate simply connected switches between the motors and power, put those in a 3D-printed enclosure, and ran long wires to the machine.

While his casting results aren’t amazing yet, this machine gives Hyperspace Pirate the ability to continue experimenting without worry.