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AssigneeTHT Presses Inc.
InventorsRichard J. Kamm, Michael J. Loughman, Ronald P. Swarts
Estimating the term…
A fiber reinforced porous preform is positioned within a die cavity defined by upper and lower die members, and the lower die member defines at least one gate opening in the center portion of a water cooled shot sleeve which receives a vertically moveable shot piston. The area of the gate opening is small relative to the area of the shot sleeve, and the lower die member defines an annular recess above the inner surface of the shot sleeve for entrapping a shell of pre-solidified metal. Air vent slots extend outwardly between the shot sleeve and lower die member and are closed by the shell of pre-solidified metal. In one embodiment, the shot sleeve and shot piston are non-circular or oval in cross-section; and the lower die member has a plurality of longitudinally space gate openings.
A vertical die casting press for producing a die cast metal part, said press comprising a non-cylindrical shot sleeve defining a non-cylindrical shot chamber for receiving molten metal and having a generally vertical axis, a non-cylindrical shot piston within said shot sleeve and supported for generally vertical axial movement, said non-cylindrical shot chamber and said non-cylindrical shot piston having substantially the same cross-sectional configuration, and a lower die member above said shot sleeve and defining at least one gate opening for receiving the molten metal forced upwardly by said shot piston.
A method of die casting a fiber reinforced metal part having no significant solid metal particles or porosity, comprising the steps of forming upper and lower die members defining a cavity corresponding to the shape of the part, defining at least one gate opening within the lower die member and extending from a non-cylindrical shot chamber defined by a non-cylindrical shot sleeve and a non-cylindrical shot piston within the sleeve, inserting a porous preform having reinforcing fibers within the cavity, inserting molten metal into the shot chamber, and moving the shot piston upwardly to force the molten metal within the shot chamber upwardly through the gate opening and into the die cavity to infiltrate the preform and fill the die cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.