Vertical Casting Apparatus and Vertical Casting Method

• US 20070215308A1
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kosei Aluminum Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kosei Aluminum Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Koide, Takashi, Matsubara, Nagayoshi, Fujino, Kiyoshi
• Application Number:
  US11/569,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20070215308A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 164/306
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 15/005 of rolls, wheels or the like B22D19/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 18/04 Low pressure casting, i.e. making use of pressures up to a few bars to fill the mould
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 27/11 making use of mechanical pressing devices

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a vertical casting apparatus capable of easily manufacturing castings without causing shrinkage cavities and entrainment of gas, by filling a molten metal into a mold cavity at a high speed and by effectively pressurizing the molten metal in the closed cavity, which has high work efficiency, ease of maintenance, and a low cost of equipment, and a vertical casting method using the vertical casting apparatus. The vertical casting apparatus is provided with an apparatus body comprising a fixed mold 1 on the lower side and a movable mold 2 on the upper side, a closing means 13 for closing a molten metal in-flow gate 10 formed in the fixed mold 1, and a pressurizing means 20 for pressurizing the molten metal in the closed mold cavity, and a casting means for supplying and filling the molten metal into the mold cavity from the underside. The casting means has a gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle 6 attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body.

Claims

1. A vertical casting apparatus comprising an apparatus body having a fixed mold on a lower side and a movable mold on an upper side, which can form a mold cavity, a closing means for closing a molten metal in-flow gate formed in the fixed mold, and a pressurizing means for pressurizing a molten metal in the closed mold cavity, and a casting means for supplying and filling the molten metal into the mold cavity from underside, wherein the casting means has a gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body.

2. The vertical casting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a hermetically sealed construction is formed by attaching the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle to the apparatus body.

3. The vertical casting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle is provided with a casting stoke, and the hermetically sealed construction is formed by bringing an upper end portion of the casting stoke into close contact with the apparatus body.

4. The vertical casting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus body is provided with a casting stoke, and the hermetically sealed construction is formed by bringing an upper end portion of the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle is brought into close contact with the apparatus body.

5. The vertical casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a content of the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle is a capacity capable of containing a molten metal necessary for one casting operation.

6. The vertical casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle has a heating means.

7. The vertical casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the casting means has a vacuum attraction mechanism for vacuum attracting a gas in the mold cavity to fill a molten metal in the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle by vacuum attraction.

8. The vertical casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mold cavity has a gas exhaust passage, and a molten metal solidification zone void linked with the gas exhaust passage is provided in a vicinity of the gas exhaust passage.

9. The die-cast casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle has a molten metal supply pipe linked with an opening provided in a lower part thereof, and an open- and closable molten metal supply port lid which has a sealing force capable of withstanding gas pressurization is provided at a molten metal supply port of the molten metal supply pipe.

10. A vertical casting method using the vertical casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the steps of casting a molten metal into the mold cavity from the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle through the casting stoke;

and closing the molten metal in-flow gate formed in the fixed mold by the closing means after the molten metal has been filled into the cavity; and

subsequently pressurizing the molten metal in the mold cavity by a pressurizing means.

11. The vertical casting method according to claim 10, comprising the steps of releasing immediately the gas pressure in the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle to the atmosphere, and detaching the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle from the apparatus body, after closing the molten metal in-flow gate by the closing means;

supplying a molten metal necessary for the next cycle into the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle; and

attaching again the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle to the apparatus body to provide for the next casting operation.

12. The vertical casting method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the gas pressure in the gas-pressurized molten metal pouring ladle is regulated to 1 kg/cm² or higher to perform casting at a high speed in a short period of time.

13. The vertical casting method according to claims 10 to 12, wherein the casting is a thin-wall and large-size casting of a light metal alloy.