Apparatus for molding metals
OwnerRon Akers, Ralph E. Vining +3inventors
InventorsRon Akers, Ralph E. Vining, D. Matthew Walukas, Raymond F. Decker, Chris Pedder
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Abstract
An apparatus for molding a metal material. The apparatus includes a vessel with portions defining a passageway through the vessel. An inlet is located toward one end and a member or agitation means is located within the passageway. A plurality of heaters are located a length of the vessel. The first of the heaters is located immediately downstream of the inlet and is a low frequency induction coil heater whereby the temperature gradient through the vessel's sidewall is minimized.
Claims45
1 An apparatus for molding a metal material comprising:
- a barrel having portions defining a passageway through said barrel, said barrel also including portions defining an inlet into said passageway;
- a member located within said passageway;
- and
- a plurality of heaters located along a length of said barrel, a first one of said heaters being located as a first one of said plurality of heaters downstream of said inlet, said first one of said plurality of heaters being a low frequency induction coil heater.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first one of said plurality of heaters is located within seven (7) inches of said inlet.
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second one of said plurality of heaters, said second one being located immediately downstream of said first one of said plurality of heaters, said second one being a low frequency induction coil heater.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one of said plurality of heaters has an operating frequency of less than 1000 Hz.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one of said plurality of heaters has an operating frequency in the range of greater than 0 to 400 Hz.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one of said plurality of heaters has an operating frequency of about 60 Hz.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vessel is constructed of a non-magnetic material.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vessel is a barrel.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said member is a rotatable screw.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vessel is constructed of a material having a high electrical resistivity.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said member is magnetic.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vessel is constructed of a Ni-base, Fe—Ni base or austenitic stainless steel.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said barrel further includes a liner of non-magnetic alloy increasing corrosion and wear resistance of said barrel.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein all of said plurality of heaters are low frequency induction heaters.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of heaters has a variable operating frequency, said frequency being variable during operation of said apparatus.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein power to at least one of said plurality of heaters is controlled by a closed loop feedback control having a sensor.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least two of said plurality of heaters have different operating frequencies.
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a power source providing power at a low frequency to at least one of said plurality of heaters.
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heaters deliver a first power level to said member and a second power level to said barrel.
An apparatus for molding a metal material comprising:
- a barrel having portions defining a passageway through said barrel, said barrel also including portions defining an inlet into said passageway;
- a rotatable member located within said passageway;
- and
- a plurality of low frequency induction heaters located along a length of said barrel and including a first and a second heater positioned successively downstream of said inlet, said first heater having a power density greater than a power density of said second heater.
A method of heating a metal material for subsequent molding comprising the steps of:
- introducing the metal material into a vessel;
- directly heating a member located within the vessel;
- introducing the metal material about the member;
- heating the metal material by extracting heat from the member to the metal material to achieve a temperature for molding;
- and
- maintaining a temperature gradient of less than 100° C. through a wall thickness section of the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.