Some embodiments described here concern a method for melting metal material in an electric arc furnace, which includes a step of loading solid metal material into the electric furnace, a step of powering the electric furnace and of generating an electric arc between at least one electrode and the metal material, and a step of melting the solid metal material to obtain molten material. Some embodiments described here concern an apparatus for melting metal material including an electric arc furnace and an electric power supply apparatus suitable to power the electric furnace.

A control system includes a vision system including an imaging device and a VAR monitoring system configured to determine a power adjustment phase of the VAR process based on the images from the vision system and a process parameter. The VAR monitoring system includes a vision analysis module configured to analyze the images from the vision system to detect a melt marker based on a remelt image process model, and a prediction module configured to predict an operational characteristic of the VAR process that is associated with the power adjustment relative to a melt marker location and a remelt prediction model. The VAR monitoring system is configured to initiate the power adjustment phase in response to the melt marker satisfying a predetermined melt marker condition, the operational characteristic of the VAR process satisfying a predetermined operational condition, or a combination thereof.

A method of detecting an open arc in a DC plasma arc furnace which is based on detecting a linear decrease in the log of the magnitude of the frequency spectrum of the voltage between the anode and cathode.

Methods and systems for managing a heating process are disclosed. An example method can comprise removing a first portion of a material from a vessel and measuring a first parameter of a second portion of the material in the vessel. The second portion of the material can remain in the vessel after the removal of the first portion. The method can comprise, determining a volume of the second portion of the material based on the first parameter, updating a second parameter based on the volume, and performing a process based on the updated second parameter.

A method includes supporting a wafer on a heating element, wherein the heating element is located in a baking chamber. The method further includes heating the wafer for a first duration using the heating element. The method further includes measuring a temperature of the heating element and a temperature of the wafer during the first duration to obtain temperature information. The method further includes adjusting an amount of heat provided by the heating element during the first duration, wherein the adjusting of the amount of heat includes decreasing the amount of heat provided by the heating element as a rate of change of the temperature information versus time increases.

In a system and method for producing submicron sized particles from a substance, the system may comprise a constant current power supply, a furnace for vaporizing the substance having a chamber for containing the substance, and a condensation unit for rapid cooling of the vaporized substance. The furnace may comprise an insulating outer section, a chamber wall, and two electrodes.

A controller includes a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store information related to a target temperature of a wafer, a target temperature of a heating element, a temperature of the wafer, and a temperature of the heating element. The controller further includes a processor connected to the non-transitory computer readable medium, the processor configured to generate at least one heating signal during a baking process to adjust a duration of an entirety of the baking process in response to the temperature of the wafer and the temperature of the heating element.

A control device for an arc furnace includes an arc furnace control module for controlling the arc furnace and a flicker module for determining a flicker value in a grid supplying the arc furnace, wherein the arc furnace control module is adapted for controlling the arc furnace based on the flicker value and wherein the arc furnace control module and the flicker module are integrated into one structural component.

A control device for an arc furnace includes an arc furnace control module for controlling the arc furnace and a flicker module for determining a flicker value in a grid supplying the arc furnace, wherein the arc furnace control module is adapted for controlling the arc furnace based on the flicker value and wherein the arc furnace control module and the flicker module are integrated into one structural component.

A control system for a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process for a metal includes a direct current (DC) power source, a ram drive, voltage drip short sensor, and a controller, which includes a processor. The drip short sensor may be configured to measure a drip short frequency of the electric arc over a period of time. The controller is configured to determine a real time arc gap length between the electrode tip and the melt pool based on a correlation between the drip short frequency and arc gap length. The controller is further configured to control power input to the electrode by the DC power supply by determining an input power level to input to the electrode based on the real time arc gap length, the input power level configured to generate a desired arc gap length, by the DC power supply, at the input power level.