Melting steel with solar power

What metals can a solar metal smelter melt?

Watch more videos about... Using an oversized magnifying glass—a fresnel lens carved into polished polycarbonate—this Solar Metal Smelter can melt metals like zinc and aluminum. The

Can a solar furnace melt metal?

A manufacturer of steel and stainless-steel watch components, the company will in a few months be the first in the world to use an industrial solar furnace to melt metal. “Our material will be 100% recycled and melted using renewable energy,” proudly says Liselotte Thuring, project manager.

Can a solar oven melt steel?

Steel has never been commercially melted using only the sun’s energy. Developed in partnership with the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Panatère’s solar oven will be 15 m wide and 6 m high. It consists of two surfaces covered with mirrors arranged differently.

How much energy does a solar metal smelter produce?

The Solar Metal Smelter produces about four kilowatts of energy at a temperature of about 800 to 1,000 degrees Celsius and can melt a maximum of 20 kilograms of zinc or five kilograms of aluminium at one time. The largest object Seegers has produced using this process to date is a flywheel for one of his other machines.

How does a solar metal smelter work?

“The Solar Metal Smelter produces about four kilowatts of energy at a temperature of about 800 to 1,000 degrees Celsius and can melt a maximum of 20 kilograms of zinc or five kilograms of aluminium at one time.” Seegers then pours the melted metal into a handmade oil-bound sand mold. There, it will harden into its cast shape.

How many tons of recycled steel can a solar furnace melt?

The solar furnace could melt up to 400 tons of recycled steel each year. The ingots will be reused by Panatère or sold to other companies. The furnace will reach a temperature of 2,000°C, which is more than enough because the melting point of steel, stainless steel and titanium is between 1,400 and 1,700°C.