Actuator for a casting mold for producing metal components

An apparatus for producing a metal component, comprising:

• a casting mold having a wall with a wall recess and a cavity, the casting mold configured to cast mold the metal component from a metal melt;
• and
• an actuator for the casting mold, the actuator including:
• a magnetic field coil including a cylindrical winding, the magnetic field coil at the wall,
• at least two electrodes at the wall so that the magnetic field coil is between at least a pair of electrodes of the at least two electrodes, and
• a housing accommodating the magnetic field coil, the housing installable in the wall recess,
• wherein with the housing installed in the wall recess, the metal melt present in the casting mold, and the actuator operated,
• the pair of electrodes are in contact with the metal melt, and are configured to generate a local pulsing electric field in the metal melt and to introduce a pulsing current into the metal melt,
• the magnetic field coil is configured to generate a local magnetic field in the metal melt,
• the magnetic field coil and the pair of electrodes are configured so that a direction that the cylindrical winding extends is substantially perpendicular to the local pulsing electric field, and
• the local pulsing electric field has a main component which extends substantially parallel to the wall.

A method of producing a metal component, comprising:

• filling a casting mold with a metal melt, the casting mold having a wall with a wall recess and a cavity configured to cast mold the metal component;
• generating a local pulsing electric field in the metal melt by at least two electrodes in contact with the metal melt to introduce a pulsing current into the metal melt;
• and
• generating a local magnetic field in the metal melt by a magnetic field coil including a cylindrical winding,
• wherein the magnetic field coil is at the wall and between at least a pair of electrodes of the at least two electrodes,
• the wall recess is configured to receive a housing accommodating the magnetic field coil,
• the magnetic field coil and the pair of electrodes are configured so that a direction that the cylindrical winding extends is substantially perpendicular to the local pulsing electric field,
• the pair of electrodes are arranged at a same wall of the casting mold with the wall recess, and
• the local pulsing electric field has a main component which extends substantially parallel to the wall.