APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING METALLIC POWDER

PURPOSE:To consume uniformly a material to be melted without using the same as a consumable electrode by forming a plasma arc torch facing the material to be melted under rotation at high speed in a hermetic chamber to a non-transfer type so that the top end thereof can be displaced in the direction intersecting orthogonally with the axial center. CONSTITUTION:The inside of the hermetic chamber 1 is maintained under an Ar gaseous atmosphere and the material 7 to be melted is rotated at high speed. Gaseous plasma is supplied to the plasma arc torch 10 and a DC power source superposed with a high frequency is passed from a power source 18 to the torch 10 to operate the same. The top end of the material 7 is thereby melted by which a molten metal is scattered and pulverized powder is formed. The torch 10 constitutes a negative electrode and a water cooling nozzle 15 a positive electrode and therefore there is no need for passing the DC large current to the revolving shaft of a high-speed motor 5 and safety is improved. The displacement of the top end of the torch 10 is made possible by oscillating and adjusting the torch around a spherical body 21 and therefore the uniform melting and consuming of the material 7 are made possible.