Semisolid casting/forging apparatus and method as well as a cast and forged product

Abstract

An excellent cast and forged product that is superior in mechanical properties and has a microstructure and which may not only be a thin but also be a thick product can be made without using complicated process steps or equipment. A semisolid casting and forging method is provided in which a metal melt is teemed so that it is supercooled into a lower die in a press so controlled that the metal melt has a rate of solidification as desired, thereby preparing a semisolid slurry; an upper die is brought into contact with the semisolid slurry; and thereafter at least one of the upper and lower dies is moved relatively towards the other at a rate of movement between 0.1 and 1.5 m/sec, thereby compressing the semisolid slurry to mold it into a product. The semisolid slurry preferably has crystal grains of a grain size of 50 μm or less.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.