E-Mail IMAGE: Illustration of the aerodynamic levitation process for studying refractory oxides at their melting points at the APS. A small bead of material is buoyed by gas and heated up by... view more Credit: (Image by Ganesh Sivaraman/Argonne National Laboratory.) Argonne scientists across several disciplines have combined forces to create a new process for testing and predicting the effects of high temperatures on refractory oxides. Cast iron melts at around 1,200 degrees Celsius. Stainless steel melts at around 1,520 degrees Celsius. If you want to shape these materials into everyday objects, like the skillet in your kitchen or the surgical tools used by doctors, it stands to reason that you would need to create furnaces and molds out of something that can withstand even these extreme temperatures.