To provide equipment and a method for manufacturing metallic ultrafine particles which enable effective suppression of the adhesion of the resultant metallic ultrafine particles to the tip of a discharge electrode even in the period until arc discharge becomes stabilized in forming the metallic ultrafine particles using arc discharge.

For example, the distance (interelectrode distance) between the discharge electrode 13 and a target 5 is gradually extended after the initiation of the arc discharge by providing a position-changing mechanism 15 for moving a torch 12, by which the adhesion of the resultant metallic ultrafine particles to the tip of the discharge electrode 13 can be suppressed, or the interelectrode distance can also be extended gradually in the period from immediately after the initiation of the arc discharge until the arc discharge becomes stabilized by using, as the above target, a target having a shape with a size larger in height direction than in width direction.