atomization furnace

atomization furnaces fascinate me. which is why i decided to start working on designing my own! there are a few different types of atomization furnaces, like gas, water and plasma, but due to costs and difficulty i chose to build a centrifgal atomization furnace. this process uses a high rpm spinning disc (all the way up to 60k rpm, more is difficult, ill likely be using 24k) to atomize a melt of metal poured on top from a furnace. this method produces slightly larger average particle size than gas or water atomization, however ball milling can be used to grind the particle size down if we need a smaller one. gas and centrifugal atomization can be paired to very small particle sizes.

in my design, i intend to use an induction heater to melt the metal, and a cnc machine spindle with a vfd to spin the atomizer disc. these can reach very high rpms, making them perfect for this purpose. i intend on using a plc for controlling the machine, as i have been getting into industrial automation engineering recently, and would like to give this project a proper electrical cabinet. there are many variables to think about and control here, like the temperature of the disc, kiln pressure, atmosphere, etc. that need consideration. in the upcoming future, i will be creating thermal studies to finish the remaining challenges and decisions.

this is a very big and expensive project, and i would like to do it as research. the future of this project is uncertain as of now.