Vacuum Arc Remelt (VAR) Furnaces

Since 1963, Retech has enjoyed being a worldwide leader in the production of Vacuum Arc Remelt (VAR) furnaces designed to melt reactive and refractory metals as well as steel. Retech VAR furnaces can be configured for a range of capacities for producing ingots or castings, from a laboratory scale to many tons, depending on customer requirements. All the while providing the very latest in high-production, maintenance-friendly systems utilizing fully integrated process control architecture and built-in features for safe, efficient operation. We actively work with those customers to develop the necessary equipment solutions, including upstream and downstream components, as well as alloy and application development. Like all of Retech’s thermal vacuum metallurgical equipment, the capability of a Vacuum Arc Remelt system is limited only by the imagination of forward-thinking companies and their ability to take advantage of the state-of-the-art controls, dependability, and quality engineering.

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VAR-T Furnace for Titanium

Traditional design for reactive metals such as titanium and zirconium.

Materials:

Reactive Metals, Refractory Metals, Amorphous Metals, Super Alloys

Applications:

Aerospace, Nuclear, Petrochemical, Marine, Chemical, Tool Steels, Consumer Products

Download VAR-T Furnace Bulletin
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VAR-S Furnace for Steel

Optimized for specialty steel and superalloy processing.

Materials:

Nickel Based Super Alloys, High Strength Stainless Steels, Tool Steels

Applications:

Aerospace, Ball Bearings, Tool Steels, Process Dies, Consumer Products

Download VAR-S Furnace Bulletin
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VAR-R Furnace for R&D

A Research and Development furnace, VAR-R offers the same features as VAR-T and VAR-S, but with added versatility, reduced footprint, and lower costs.

Materials:

Reactive Metals, Refractory Metals, Amorphous Metals, Super Alloys, and Steels

Applications:

Powder Production, Prototype Material Ingots

Download VAR-R Furnace Bulletin

Vacuum Arc Remelt (VAR) Furnaces FAQ’s

Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) is a secondary melting process that is used to improve homogeneity in metal alloy ingots. This equipment can be used for reactive and refractory metals as well as high value steels.

Since 1963, Retech has enjoyed being a worldwide leader in the production of Vacuum Arc Remelt (VAR) furnaces configured for a range of capacities for producing ingots or castings, from a laboratory scale to many tons.

VAR is used for production of metal ingots that require high chemical and mechanical homogeneity. It is used on a variety of metals including various grades of stainless steel, alloy steel, titanium alloys, nickel superalloys, nitinol, zirconium, niobium, platinum, tantalum, and rhodium...among others.

Materials are processed in the VAR to remove or reduce contaminants and to allow the material to form the desired microstructure (grain structure) that will improve the performance in the desired application. Retech has primarily sold VAR equipment into the Titanium processing market so these materials would be titanium alloys. However, specialty steels often require VAR processing to increase the cleanliness and homogeneity of the ingots.