ELECTRON BEAM SMELTING FURNACE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING ELECTRON BEAM SMELTING FURNACE USING SAME

摘要

Provided is a technology whereby an electron beam can be radiated precisely to a predetermined position with respect to a hearth situated in an electron beam smelting furnace or a molten metal pool formed in a casting mold. This method is for operating an electron beam smelting furnace equipped with a hearth and a casting mold holding molten metal, an electron gun that melts the molten metal, an electron gun control means that controls the direction in which the electron beam radiates, a molten metal image sensor, and a calculation means. In this method: irradiation coordinates with which the molten metal is to be irradiated with the electron beam are input to the electron gun control means, and the molten metal is irradiated with the electron beam; a high-luminance area generated when the molten metal is irradiated with the electron beam is detected by the image sensor; the coordinates of the high-luminance area are calculated from the detection signal by the calculation means; the difference between the irradiation coordinates and the coordinates of the high-luminance area is calculated by the calculation means; and the difference is input to the electron gun control means, thereby controlling the irradiation position of the electron beam such that the difference is equal to or less than a prescribed value.