Disclosed is a method for melting and solidification of a scintillating material in micromechanical structures, including controlling the melting and solidification of the scintillating material by individually controlled heat sources, a top heater and a bottom heater, placed above and below a process chamber, housing a sample with the micromechanical structures and the scintillating material. The heaters are controlled to set a vertical temperature gradient over the sample to control the melting and solidification of the scintillating material. During melting, the top heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where no melting occurs and the bottom heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where melting occurs during a period of time while the scintillating material melts and flows into the micromechanical structures. During solidification, the temperature of the bottom heater decreases to enable solidification to take place starting from the bottom of the micromechanical structures.

A sapphire crystal growth apparatus is provided that includes a chamber, a hot zone and a muffle. More specifically, the hot zone is disposed within the chamber and includes at least one heating system, at least one heat removal system, and a crucible containing feedstock. Additionally, a muffle that surrounds at least two sides of the crucible is also provided to ensure uniform temperature distribution through the feedstock during crystal growth to allow the crystalline material to be grown with a square or rectangular shaped cross section.

A process for casting a single crystal axis-symmetric thick walled tube comprising forming a axisymmetric single crystal ring seed around a circular internal core, wherein the ring seed has an inner diameter and a taper on the inner diameter, and wherein the internal core has an outer diameter and a matching taper on the outer diameter, the matching taper matching the taper of the inner diameter of the ring seed, and the internal core being free to translate in a vertical direction relative to the ring seed; and heating the ring seed so as to expand the ring seed relative to the internal core, and allowing the circular internal core to translate relative to the ring seed in a direction of the force of gravity, thereby maintaining contact between the circular internal core and the ring seed.

A production apparatus and a production method for a gallium oxide crystal, including growing a gallium oxide single crystal by VB method, HB method, or VGF method, under an air atmosphere, by using a crucible containing a PtIr-based alloy having an Ir content of 20 to 30 wt %, and the production apparatus (10) includes a vertical Bridgman furnace including: a base body (12); a furnace body (14) in a cylindrical shape having heat resistance, disposed on the base body (12); a lid member (18) occluding the furnace body (14); a heater (20) disposed inside the furnace body (14); a crucible bearing (30) disposed vertically movably penetrating through the base body (12); and a crucible (34) disposed on the crucible bearing (30), heated with the heater (20), the crucible (34) being a crucible (34) containing a PtIr-based alloy having an Ir content of 20 to 30 wt %.

A mould for use in manufacturing a single-crystal component by metal casting and epitaxial growth, includes a cavity in which the component is to be formed and a housing having an elliptical cross-section in which a single-crystal seed is disposed, the seed having an elliptical cross-section defined by a minor axis and by a major axis, the housing being in fluid communication with the cavity via an opening of circular cross-section through which molten metal is to flow, the single-crystal seed and the opening being centred on the same vertical axis, in which the minor axis and the major axis of the cross-section of the seed are oriented as a function of the secondary crystallographic orientations of the single-crystal forming the single-crystal seed.

A method of manufacturing a component includes additively manufacturing a crucible; directionally solidifying a metal material within the crucible; and removing the crucible to reveal the component. A component for a gas turbine engine includes a directionally solidified metal material component, the directionally solidified metal material component having been additively manufactured of a metal material concurrently with a core, the metal material having been remelted and directionally solidified.

A TiAl intermetallic compound single crystal material and a preparation method therefor are disclosed. The alloy composition of the material comprises Ti.sub.aAl.sub.bNb.sub.c(C, Si).sub.d, wherein 43b49, 2c10, a+b+c=100, and 0d1 (at. %).

The apparatus for producing a gallium oxide crystal relating to the invention contains a vertical Bridgman furnace containing: a base body; a cylindrical furnace body having heat resistance disposed above the base body; a lid member occluding the furnace body; a heater disposed inside the furnace body; a crucible shaft provided vertically movably through the base body; and a crucible disposed on the crucible shaft, heated with the heater, the crucible is a crucible containing a Pt-based alloy, the furnace body has an inner wall that is formed as a heat-resistant wall containing plural ring shaped heat-resistant members each having a prescribed height accumulated on each other, and the ring shaped heat-resistant members each contain plural divided pieces that are joined to each other to the ring shape.

A manufacturing method includes providing a material that includes a plurality of particles and a binder that is uncured. The method also includes forming a first article from the material including curing the binder to bind a collection of the particles together into the first article. Furthermore, the method includes encasing at least a portion of the first article with an outer member. The outer member defines an internal cavity that corresponds to the first article. Additionally, the method includes heating the outer member and the first article to melt the collection of particles into a molten mass within the internal cavity of the outer member. Moreover, the method includes solidifying the molten mass within the outer member to form a second article. The second article corresponds to at least a portion of the internal cavity of the outer member.

A method of manufacturing a directionally solidified article of the present disclosure includes providing a collection of particulate material and additively manufacturing a first article with an outer wall from the particulate material. The outer wall defines at least part of a cavity. The cavity contains an amount of the particulate material. The method also includes encasing at least a portion of the first article with an outer member. The outer member defines an internal cavity that corresponds to the first article. The method further includes heating the outer member and the first article to melt the first article into a molten mass within the internal cavity of the outer member. Additionally, the method includes solidifying the molten mass along a predetermined solidification path within the outer member to form a second article that corresponds to at least a portion of the internal cavity of the outer member.