Pot metal the caster adds other metals to the mix to strengthen the cast part, improve flow of the molten metal, or to reduce cost. With a low melting point of 419 °C (786 °F), zinc is often alloyed with other metals including lead, tin, aluminium, and copper. Pot metal is generally used for parts that are not subject to high stresses or torque. Items created from pot metal include toys, furniture fittings, tool parts, electronics components, automotive parts, inexpensive jewelry and improvised weaponry. It is also used in inexpensive electric guitars and other budget priced musical instruments. Pot metal Pot metal
Alkali-metal thermal to electric converter Alkali-metal thermal to electric converter The alkali-metal thermal-to-electric converter (AMTEC), originally called the sodium heat engine (SHE) was invented by Joseph T. Kummer and Neill Weber at Ford in 1966, and is described in US Patents , , and . It is a thermally regenerative electrochemical device for the direct conversion of heat to electrical energy. It is characterized by high potential efficiencies and no moving parts except the working fluid, which make it a candidate for space power applications. This device accepts a heat input in a range 900–1300 K and produces direct current with predicted device efficiencies of