US 6,470,955 B1Granted

Semi-solid casting apparatus and method

AssigneeGibbs Die Casting Aluminum Corporation

InventorsKevin L. Richard, Richard I. Neill, Jr., Christopher S. Rice, Shinya Myojin, Patricio F. Mendez, Timothy B. Gage, John F. O'Daniels, Charles E. Barron

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A die casting system includes a vessel defining a reservoir with a controlled heater and an agitator for maintaining the bath of semi-solid metal in a homogeneous isothermal state, a transfer system capable of transferring a known quantity of metal in its semi-solid state to a mold cavity in a die casting machine, the transfer system including a heated suction tube, a vacuum source for vacuum ladling semi-solid metal from the bath to a die, and a plunger tip providing a path for free air flow to allow evacuation of the suction tube during casting and a metal replacement system for replacing the known quantity of transferred metal with a similar amount of liquid metal so that a stable homogeneous isothermal bath of semi-solid metal is controllably maintained to be available for die casting operations.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for die casting metal alloy from a source of alloy maintained in a semi-solid state, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a die casting press having a mold cavity for receiving the metal to be cast and chilling the metal to a solid form,
providing a vessel of molten metal having a bottom and a side,
providing a heater thermally communicating with only the bottom of the vessel,
lowering the temperature of the molten metal to a level at which the metal will begin to solidify,
stirring the metal and controlling the temperature to maintain the metal at an isothermal state containing solid particles of metal and molten metal, wherein controlling the temperature is accomplished by heating through the bottom of the vessel and wherein cooling of the metal is in part through the side of the vessel, and wherein the stirring includes shearing of solidifying metal from the sides of the vessel,
whereby the metal in the vessel is maintained in a stable semi-solid condition with constant stirring and temperature control.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/359,247Filed 22 Jul 1999 · us provisional application
Priority: 24 Jul 1998
Granted: 29 Oct 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B22D 1/00
Treatment of fused masses in the ladle or the supply runners before
B22D 17/007
Pressure die casting or injection die casting, i.e. casting in which the metal is forced into a mould under high pressure: semi-solid pressure die…
B22D 17/06
Hot chamber machines, i.e. with heated press chamber in which metal is melted: air injection machines
B22D 17/10
Cold chamber machines, i.e. with unheated press chamber into which molten metal is ladled: with horizontal press motion