Sleeve for optical connector ferrules and method for production thereof

A method for the production of a sleeve for optical connector ferrules, comprising the steps of:

• providing a melting vessel having an upper open end;
• providing a forced cooling casting mold provided with at least one molding cavity and disposed above said melting vessel;
• melting an alloying material capable of yielding an amorphous alloy in said melting vessel;
• forcibly transferring the resultant molten alloy into the molding cavity of said forced cooling casting mold;
• and
• rapidly solidifying said molten alloy in said forced cooling casting mold to confer amorphousness on the alloy thereby obtaining a cast product of an alloy containing an amorphous phase.

A method for the production of a sleeve for optical connector ferrules, comprising the steps of:

• providing a vessel for melting an alloying material capable of producing an amorphous alloy possessing a glass transition region, said vessel being provided with a hole and retaining a melt of said alloying material;
• providing a metal mold provided with a sprue and at least one cavity of the shape of a product aimed at;
• connecting said hole formed in said vessel to the sprue of said metal mold;
• applying pressure on said melt in the vessel to introduce a prescribed amount of said melt via the hole of said vessel into said metal mold thereby filling said cavity with said melt;
• and
• solidifying said melt in said metal mold at a cooling rate of not less than 10 K/s to obtain a product of an alloy containing an amorphous phase.

A method for the production of a sleeve for optical connector ferrules, comprising the steps of:

• heating an amorphous material formed of an alloy represented by the following general formula and containing an amorphous phase in a volumetric ratio of at least 50% to a temperature in a supercooled liquid region:
• XaMbAlc
• wherein X represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Zr and Hf, M represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu, and a, b, and c represent such atomic percentages as respectively satisfy 25≦a≦85, 5≦b≦70, and 0<c≦35;
• inserting the resultant hot amorphous material in a container held at the same temperature;
• connecting a metal mold provided with a cavity of the shape of a product aimed at to said container;
• and
• introducing a prescribed amount of said alloy under pressure into said metal mold by virtue of the viscous flow of said supercooled liquid to form a sleeve.