Method and system for semiliquid die casting high performance mechanical components from rheocast ingots

A system for semiliquid die casting a metal alloy comprising:

• a tunnel furnace for preheating the ingots to a temperature within the solidification range of said metal alloy;
• a plurality of containers for holding the ingots;
• a first robotic handling device operatively associated with a loading station located at a first end of the tunnel furnace whereby said first robotic handling device places each ingot into a respective container and loads a side-by-side plurality of the ingots and respective containers on the loading station;
• said loading station having means for simultaneously inserting said side-by-side plurality of ingots and respective containers into the furnace;
• conveying means for conveying said side-by-side plurality of ingots and respective containers from said first end of said furnace to a second end of said furnace opposite said first end;
• an unloading station located at the second end of the furnace;
• said unloading station having a limit stop for aligning said side-by-side plurality of ingots and respective containers;
• a die casting machine comprising an injection chamber for receiving the preheated ingots one at a time and a mold having at least two half molds movable in relation to each other;
• a second robotic handling device operatively associated with said unloading station, said die casting machine and a rejection bin;
• whereby said second robotic handling device removes said side-by-side plurality of ingots and respective containers located on said unloading station one ingot and respective container at a time and selectively transfers said one ingot of said side-by-side plurality from said respective container to the injection chamber of the die casting machine when the one ingot is within an acceptable temperature range and to said rejection bin when the one ingot is not within said acceptable temperature range;
• and
• a thermocouple which is immersed in the one ingot of said side-by-side plurality during transfer by the second robotic handling device whereby the temperature of the one ingot is determined prior to completion of the transfer of the one ingot.

A method of semiliquid die casting a metal alloy comprising:

• placing a rheocast ingot of the metal alloy in a container;
• preheating the metal alloy ingot to a semiliquid state in a forced-convection-heated furnace;
• sensing a temperature of the metal alloy ingot;
• withdrawing the container and the preheated metal alloy contained therein from the furnace when the metal alloy is within an acceptable temperature range, said acceptable temperature range being dependent upon the composition of the metal alloy and ranging from a minimum permissible injection temperature at which the ingot begins to be visibly incapable of maintaining its shape to a maximum permissible injection temperature at which the metal alloy has an apparent viscosity such that the metal alloy may fill a mold under laminar flow conditions;
• and
• transferring the metal alloy from the container into an injection chamber operatively connected to the mold.