Methods and apparatus for casting and extruding material

A method of casting and extruding metal comprising:

• moving a metal transport means having an elongated outwardly open cavity defined in a surface thereof, a portion of said open cavity defining an outwardly open mold cavity, in a predetermined path;
• feeding molten metal into said mold cavity at a site along said outwardly open cavity with means associated with said metal transport means and said mold cavity;
• movably enclosing a region of said outwardly open cavity including the site with means disposed adjacent said metal transport means and cooperating with said metal transport means to function as a movable closure, the mold cavity and a portion of the open cavity extending downstream of the site and mold cavity defining an extruder feed chamber for receiving metal exiting from said mold cavity extending rearwardly therefrom and into said extruder feed chamber;
• moving said mold cavity along said path with drive means coupled to said metal transport means to convey metal in said mold cavity to said extruder feed chamber and then into a stationary die means at least partially mounted in said outwardly open cavity and having a stem portion extending rearwardly therefrom into said extruder feed chamber;
• fully solidifying the molten metal within said cavity with cooling means associated with said metal transport means and said mold cavity;
• further coupling said drive means to said closure means for effecting, within said region, movement of the closure means with said metal transport means;
• extruding said solidified metal through said stationary die by the cooperative movement of said drive means, metal transport means and movable closure which produces sufficient pressure to force the metal through said stationary die.

Apparatus for continuously casting and extruding material, the apparatus comprising:

• a first rotary member having an annular groove in a radially extending first surface thereof;
• a second rotary member having a radially extending second surface so disposed adjacent to said radially extending first surface of the first rotary member as to enclose a portion of said annular groove, thereby defining a region of overlap between the second rotary member and the annular groove;
• first means, disposed at a feeding station, for introducing the material in molten condition into said annular groove;
• second means for rotating the first and second rotary members simultaneously, about two different axes, in such direction as to transport the molten material within said annular groove from said feeding station and partly through said region;
• third means for cooling the material in said annular groove so as to render such material in a solidified condition in the course of such transportation thereof;
• and
• an extrusion die disposed in said groove with at least part thereof being within said region of overlap and adapted to extrude said material in response to continuing rotation of such two members causing the extrusion of the material from said annular groove in a solidified condition through said die.

Apparatus for casting and extruding metal comprising:

• metal transport means having an elongated outwardly open cavity defined in a surface thereof, a portion of said open cavity defining an outwardly open mold cavity, said metal transport means being movable in a predetermined path;
• means associated with said metal transport means and said mold cavity for feeding molten metal into said mold cavity at a site along said outwardly open cavity;
• movable enclosing means disposed adjacent said metal transport means and cooperating with said metal transport means to function as a movable closure for a region of said outwardly open cavity including the site, the mold cavity and a portion of the open cavity extending downstream of the site and mold cavity defining an extruder feed chamber for receiving metal exiting from said mold cavity;
• a stationary die at least partially mounted in said outwardly open cavity and having a stem portion extending rearwardly therefrom and into said extruder feed chamber;
• drive means coupled to said metal transport means for moving said mold cavity along said path to convey metal in said mold cavity to said extruder feed chamber and then into said die;
• and cooling means associated with said metal transport means and said mold cavity for fully solidifying the molten metal within said cavity;
• said drive means being further coupled to said closure means for effecting, within said region, movement of the closure means with said metal transport means;
• said drive means, metal transport means and movable closure cooperating to produce pressure in said extruder feed chamber causing extrusion of said solidified metal through said stationary die.