MELTING DEVICE AND MELTING VESSEL USING SAME

PURPOSE:To provide the title melting vessel so designed that a vessel made of noble metal (alloy) with its outer surface coated with a ceramic reinforcing film is supported by a supporting member having radiation heat-transmissible part, thereby enhancing heat-receiving efficiency and reducing the vaporization of the vessel material and foreign substance contamination into glass. CONSTITUTION:The outer surface of roughly cylindrical vessel base 22 open upward, made of such a noble metal (alloy) as Pt, Pt-Rh or Pt-Au is subjected to plasma spray coating with a powder mixture comprising forsterite with a mean particle size of 5-7mum and Al2O3 with a man particle size of 1-2mum to form the first layer 24a. Thence, the second layer 24b is formed on the first layer 24a by plasma spray coating with a second powder mixture comprising Al2O3 with a mean particle size of 1-2mum and TiO2 with a mean particle size of 1-2mum, thus obtaining a melting vessel 12 with its outer surface coated with the resultant ceramic reinforcing film 24, 0.1-5.0mm thick. This vessel 12 is then supported by a supporting member 14 with many penetrating holes 28 as the radiation heat-transmissible part so as to externally cover the lower half part of said vessel 12.