Vacuum Melting and Casting Apparatus

A vacuum melting and casting apparatus having, inside a hermetically sealed container to which an evacuating pipe is connected:

• a melting furnace;
• a cooling roll for forming a casting by subjecting molten metal tapped from the melting furnace to primary cooling;
• and
• a rotatable cooling drum for receiving the casting formed by the cooling roll and for subjecting the casting to secondary cooling;
• wherein the cooling drum comprises:
• a tubular member elongated in one longitudinal direction and having a receiving opening which is formed to open on one side of the tubular member in order to receive therein the casting, and a discharge opening which is formed to open on an opposite side of the tubular member in order to discharge the casting that has been subjected to the secondary cooling;
• and
• a transfer means for transferring the casting received from the receiving opening toward the discharge opening in response to the rotation of the tubular member.