EP3229992B1 - Device and method for producing ingots - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing ingots of metal or metal alloy. The process is in particular a continuous casting process.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing ingots of metal or metal alloy. Method and apparatus are particularly suitable for the production of ingots of nickel, titanium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium and alloys thereof and alloys with these metals in the continuous casting process. The device has an ingot chamber adapted to receive and cast several cast ingots in the ingot chamber. For this purpose, the ingots are arranged horizontally movable on ingot holding means in the ingot chamber.

Devices for the production of ingots are known from the prior art in a variety of designs. In general, in the known continuous casting process, an ingot is poured using a mold and then allowed to cool. In the case of reactive metals or metal alloys, the ingot must not come in contact with air immediately after casting, as otherwise oxides or other reaction products with air constituents may form, which may significantly affect the quality of the product. This applies in particular to titanium and titanium alloys. Therefore, working under an inert gas atmosphere or in a vacuum.

Conventionally, the productivity of continuous casting process is limited by the fact that it must wait with the casting of another ingot until the first ingot has cooled down so far that it can be removed from the plant without reacting with air constituents. With the comparatively short process times of generally between 30 and 90 minutes for the casting of an ingot, cooling times are particularly significant.

GB 720,205 A relates to a process for continuously casting ingots of steel. A gas-tight ingot chamber is not disclosed.

There are several ways to solve this problem. For example, disclosed DE 10 2014 100 976 A1 a continuous casting apparatus and a pseudo-continuous process for the production of ingots, which, however, brings a number of disadvantages. Thus, in the device described there, the guidance of a cast ingot over a plurality of rollers (reference numerals 60, 71) is required. In addition, the ingot is clamped by means of clamping devices (55A, 55B) in order to fix the ingot in a separating device. All this makes the device as a whole complex and affects the surface quality of the ingot through the contact of the ingot surface with the material of rollers and clamping device. Furthermore, caused by the separator used in the device chips and metal waste, which interfere with a smooth process flow. Not least, the need for additional gas-tight separated from the ambient air chambers increases the equipment cost enormously. Thus revealed DE 10 2014 100 976 A1 Although a device in which the stoppage of the casting process is not determined by the cooling of the cast ingot, but by the separation of the cast ingot from the subsequent ingot and required gas exchange times of the discharge chamber. However, this increase in throughput comes at the price of inherent problems due to a complex plant design.

DE 1 558 248 A describes a device for forwarding cut-off blocks in continuous metal casting. There, after cooling, the resulting ingots are placed on a cart and taken away. The device described there has, in particular, no ingot chamber with a plurality of ingot holding means.

Another approach to increasing throughput in the production of metal or metal alloy ingots is in US Pat WO 2012/138456 A1 disclosed. There, an apparatus configuration is described, which allows the casting of a melt in more than one form. Thus, the possibility is opened to use two Ingot forms with a melting point. While one ingot cools in the first mold, the second can already be poured. However, such a system has disadvantages, namely, the casting time of the second ingot is insufficient to allow the first ingot to cool sufficiently to allow safe removal. US 2004/0056394 A1 also describes a device with two cast strands. The device does not have an ingot chamber suitable for receiving a plurality of ingots.

The parallel operation of several melting points has also been proposed in the prior art. However, this is - at least in plasma systems - associated with the fact that a corresponding number of heating means must be provided, as a plasma torch due to its slower movement several melting points can not keep liquid at the same time. Further, many methods provide for discharge steps that require air to flood the process chambers. As a result, must be evacuated before the next step or flooded with inert gas, which makes the process uneconomical.

It is generally advantageous if a device for the production of ingots made of metal or metal alloy as simple as possible and, consequently, low maintenance. In particular, only a few moving parts should be present in the interior of the chambers. For the replacement or repair, namely the operation must be interrupted; Often the repair is only possible under very strict safety conditions. In addition, a simple structure allows to be evacuated or to be filled with inert gas volume to keep small, which in turn reduces costs.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for producing ingots of metal or metal alloy, which is suitable for increasing the productivity of the production and at the same time not to increase the complexity of the system too much. Furthermore, the ingots produced should be at least equal to or better than those in the prior art.

The object is solved by the subject matters of the claims.

• wenigstens einer Schmelzvorrichtung,
• wenigstens einer Kokille,
• wenigstens einer gasdichten Ingot-Kammer, die wenigstens teilweise unterhalb der Kokille angeordnet ist,
• wobei die Ingot-Kammer mehrere Ingot-Haltemittel aufweist, die geeignet sind, jeweils wenigstens einen Ingot aufzunehmen,
• wobei die Ingot-Haltemittel horizontal, insbesondere um eine im wesentlichen vertikale Drehachse, beweglich sind, so dass ein Ingot-Haltemittel an eine Schmelzposition unter der Kokille bewegt werden kann, um einen Ingot aufzunehmen, und anschließend an einen anderen Ort bewegt werden kann, um die Schmelzposition für ein anderes Ingot-Haltemittel freizugeben,
• wobei die Kokille so angeordnet ist, dass ihr geschmolzenes Metall oder Metalllegierung aus der Schmelzvorrichtung zugeführt werden kann.

According to the invention an apparatus for producing ingots of metal or metal alloy with

• at least one melting device,
• at least one mold,
• at least one gas-tight ingot chamber, which is arranged at least partially below the mold,
• the ingot chamber having a plurality of ingot holding means adapted to receive at least one ingot each,
• wherein the ingot holding means are movable horizontally, in particular about a substantially vertical axis of rotation, so that an ingot holding means can be moved to a melting position under the mold to receive an ingot and then moved to another location release the fusing position for another ingot holding agent
• wherein the mold is arranged so that its molten metal or metal alloy can be supplied from the melting device.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to move a cast ingot quickly out of the area below the mold so that the casting process of the next ingot can be started without having to wait for the first cast ingot to cool. For this purpose, the ingot holding means, in which an ingot can be arranged, are designed to be movable. The mobility of the ingot holding means can preferably be achieved by arranging the ingot holding means on or in a movable plate. In particular, the plate is rotatable, e.g. a turntable with ingot holding means arranged therein. Conveniently, the rotatable plate may be circular, wherein advantageously the ingot retaining means are arranged annularly around the axis of rotation.

It has proved to be advantageous to design the ingot holding means in such a way that they hold the respective ingot only in its bottom area, in particular at its starter bottom. As a result, the ingot remains largely uncovered in the ingot chamber, whereby the cooling of the ingot can be done comparatively quickly. In the prior art partially ingot molds are provided, in which the ingot is poured into it. These forms are then either coolant cooled or slow the cooling down. Such molds are preferably not provided in the apparatus of this invention to reduce maintenance, minimize system complexity, and not affect cooling. Only in an alternative embodiment, the ingot retaining means may be provided with a wall which is at least partially capable of surrounding a cast ingot. This wall can be cooled or heated, depending on whether the cooling should be accelerated or slowed down. As heating means a resistance heating is preferred. Apparently, this can be achieved in particular by using pipe sections that are tuned to the ingot, in particular with regard to height and diameter. A heating of the walls of such a modified ingot-holding means may be advantageous if otherwise a rupture of the ingot would be to be feared in case of too rapid cooling.

The ingot holding means may, for example, be pipe sections, but they may also be other, in particular cylindrical or conical, holders. The brackets or pipe sections can be configured with or without guide grooves or guide lugs. Other examples of ingot retaining means are rectangular brackets or a number of rods arranged around the ingot. A cast ingot can then be placed in an ingot holding means so that it is fixed. Ideally, after being placed in the ingot holding means, the ingot can only be lifted up out of the ingot holding means. For this purpose, the ingot holding means or the holding means, for example, conical or cylindrical (as a pipe section) can be configured. In the case of the cylindrical configuration, it is preferable for the cast ingot to have at its lower end, in particular in the region of the starter bottom, a section of smaller diameter compared to the rest of the ingot. This configuration of the holding means ensures that the ingot is fixed at a precisely predetermined position, so that it can be targeted, e.g. using the lifting devices described herein, is manageable.

The device of this invention preferably comprises at least one discharge chamber, which is in particular at least partially disposed above the ingot chamber. The discharge chamber is preferably configured gas-tight. In particular, it has an opening in the direction of the ingot chamber, which is preferably embodied such that it can be closed gas-tightly relative to the ingot chamber, in particular a sluice or a valve. The opening may be opened for the purpose of unloading an ingot from the ingot chamber. The discharge chamber is preferably filled or evacuated with inert gas at the moment of opening, just like the ingot chamber. Through the opening, the ingot is moved to the unloading point in the discharge chamber and fixed there. An inserted lifting device can then be withdrawn and the opening to the ingot chamber is closed again. Only then can the ingot be removed from the discharge chamber, for example with a crane. In one embodiment, the ingot to be unloaded is held at the unloading point by holding elements which are advantageously located at the door of the unloading chamber. The door can then be swung outwards, making the ingot accessible to a crane, for example.

The device according to the invention preferably has at least one lifting device which is suitable for forming a releasable connection with an ingot formed by means of the mold and for guiding, in particular lowering, the ingot which has just been cast into the ingot holding means in the melting position. The detachable connection is in particular a clamp connection. However, other compounds are conceivable, such as e.g. Screw or plug connections.

The device according to the invention preferably further comprises at least one second lifting device which is suitable for moving, in particular lifting, an ingot from an ingot holding means, which is located at the unloading position in the ingot chamber, to the unloading point in the unloading chamber. For this purpose, the second lifting device is preferably designed such that it can form a releasable connection with the ingot to be unloaded. The releasable connection is preferably the same type of connection as in the first lifting device, in particular a clamping connection. The unloading position is in particular directly below the discharge chamber in the ingot chamber, in particular directly below an opening of the discharge chamber.

The device according to the invention is thus suitable for casting an ingot which can be arranged, in particular, by means of a first lifting device in an ingot holding means in the melting position, so that the cast ingot is arranged in the movable ingot holding means. The movable ingot holding means can be moved out of the area below the mold (melting position), so that another ingot can be poured. At this point, the first cast ingot is preferably still in the ingot chamber. The next cast ingot is again lowered into the next free ingot holding means, which is now in the melting position. In this way, several ingots can be successively produced, which can be arranged in each case in the next free ingot holding means.

Depending on how large the system can be designed and how much time is required for the cooling, a variety of ingot holding means may be provided in the ingot chamber. It is particularly advantageous that the ingot chamber constructed in this way manages without guide rollers or the like. The ingots are preferably held in position solely by the ingot holding means. As a result, a qualitative impairment of the ingot surface is effectively avoided by other contact elements. Furthermore, an ingot, which is arranged standing in the ingot chamber, cool comparatively evenly.

Preferred embodiments relate to devices having at least four ingot holding means, more preferably at least six ingot holding means, more preferably at least eight ingot holding means, more preferably twelve or sixteen ingot holding means. At any given time, there is preferably exactly one ingot holding means in the melting position and exactly one ingot holding means in the unloading position. In the case of eight ingot holding means is at a process time to which, for example, four ingots have been cast, exactly one ingot holding means in the melting position, an ingot holding means in the unloading position and between them in the direction of movement from the melting position to the unloading position three cooling ingots in their ingot-holding means. In the direction of movement from the unloading position to the melting position, there are then three ingot holding means without ingots, but optionally with starter trays arranged therein.

Once an ingot has reached the unloading position in an ingot holding means by its movement within the ingot chamber, this ingot can be lifted out of the ingot holding means to a discharge point in the unloading chamber, preferably by the second lifting device. The lifting of the ingot to be unloaded from the ingot holding means in the unloading position has the advantage that the ingot holding means can be made comparatively simple compared with another removal, in particular with respect to a lowering. For example, the ingot retaining means may be simply conical or designed as a pipe section. This makes it easy to achieve that the ingot in an ingot holding means in one direction, namely upwards, is movable.

The device according to the invention has a melting device which has at least one heating means. Preferred heating means are selected from plasma torch and / or electron beam gun. The melting device is preferably arranged in a melting chamber. The melting chamber preferably comprises the melting device with at least one heating means and at least one mold. Compared with alternative attempts to increase the productivity of devices for the production of ingots from metal or metal alloys, the device of the present invention is characterized in that it is not necessary to increase the productivity of several molds are necessary. Nevertheless, the present invention also encompasses embodiments which have more than one mold, in particular two, three, four or more molds. Devices having more than one mold require the presence of other heating means.

The melting chamber is preferably arranged according to the invention at least partially above the ingot chamber. This allows the comparatively direct transfer of a cast ingot into the ingot chamber.

The device according to the invention is suitable for producing ingots which have to be produced in the absence of air. This is especially true for reactive metals and metal alloys such as titanium and titanium alloys. Preferred metals are Ni, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf and alloys thereof and alloys with these metals. A particularly preferred material is titanium aluminides (TiAl). Consequently, the ingot chamber is gas-tight. The same applies preferably to the discharge chamber and / or the melting chamber. The ingot chamber may have coolant cooled walls to speed up the process.

The ingots that are obtainable with the device or the method of this invention preferably have a round, in particular circular, cross-section. The cross section may also be rectangular, in particular square, or polygonal (> 4-square). But there are also other forms conceivable and according to the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the basic shape of the ingot is not critical to the operation of the invention. Furthermore, it is possible by customary means to adapt the ingot holding means to the ingot mold.

The ingot holding means in the device of the present invention are preferably adapted to receive exactly one ingot each. In order to be able to design the ingot holding means and the process sequence in general as efficiently as possible, it has proved to be advantageous to use so-called "starter trays" for the production of the ingots. The starter trays are preferably placed in the ingot holding means prior to the start of the melt.

The starter tray preferably comprises those means necessary to hold the cast ingot body in position in the ingot holding means. The starter bottom is designed in particular with regard to its shape so that it allows a fixation of the ingot in the holding means. Preferably, the ingot is held only mediated by the starter bottom in its ingot holding means.

The starter bottom is preferably at least partially and in particular made entirely of the same material as the ingot body. If the starter bottom is only partially made of the same material as the ingot body, this is preferably true at least for the area that comes in contact with the melt during casting. Starter bottom and ingot body preferably form the ingot. The starter bottom may preferably already be arranged in the ingot holding means, which is in the melting position, prior to casting the first ingot. The starter tray is then lifted into the mold for pouring the first ingot so that the ingot body can be formed by pouring the melt onto the starter tray. When the ingot body is finished, the starter bottom and ingot body is lowered into the ingot holding means in the melting position so that the top of the ingot body is released from the mold and the cast strand is thus separated. The starter bottom now remains connected to the ingot body. He is transported together with the ingot body in the discharge chamber. Preferably, the starter bottom is separated from the ingot body only after the discharge of the ingot and can then be reused. The starter bottom is preferably made of the same metal or metal alloy as the ingot body.

In the discharge chamber, the starter bottom removed together with the ingot body as finished ingot can be replaced by another starter bottom. The new starter bottom is then preferably from the discharge chamber, in particular by the second lifting device, lowered into the ingot chamber on the free ingot holding means in the unloading position and is available for the production of a further ingot body.

The unloading chamber has the advantage that the ingot chamber does not need to be flooded with air to unload an ingot. Rather, the melting process can go further, since the discharge chamber serves as a lock to remove the ingots.

The use of starter bottoms has several advantages. Thus, for example, the starter base already preferably brings with it a fixing element, in particular a clamping element, which is suitable for forming a detachable connection with the lifting devices. Furthermore, the starter bottom can previously be selectively shaped so that it fits exactly into the ingot holding means of the ingot chamber. The starter bottom can be detached from the ingot body following removal of a finished ingot from the device and fed to reuse.

As described, each ingot preferably has an ingot body and a starter bottom. The starter bottom furthermore preferably has at least one fixing element. By means of the fixing element, the starter bottom can preferably enter into a detachable connection with one or more lifting devices. For this purpose, the lifting device or the lifting devices preferably have one or more fixing units which are suitable for forming a detachable connection between the lifting device and the ingot, in particular the fixing element of a starter base. Fixation unit on the lifting device and fixing element on the starter bottom are preferably suitable to bring about a releasable connection via a clamp. In this case, a Stubklemmung is preferred.

The first lifting device preferably has at least one guide means, which in particular has a length which exceeds the height of the ingot chamber, such as a rod or a tube. The guide means may be moved from a location below an ingot holding means, which is in the melting position, so that a starter bottom located in the ingot holding means can be lifted to the mold where the ingot on the starter bottom -Body can train. For this purpose, a fixing unit is preferably arranged at the upper end of the guide means. The lifting device is preferably suitable for lowering an ingot body formed on the starter bottom, which is located immediately below the mold, into the ingot holding means. After the ingot has been lowered into the ingot holding means in the melting position, the detachable connection between the lifting device or guide means is released and preferably the guide means is lowered so far that the ingot holding means is movable.

The process is comparable in the unloading position. First, preferably a releasable connection between the lifting device, in particular guide means, and ingot is produced. Then, preferably, the ingot is lifted from the ingot holding means into the discharge chamber. There, the ingot is preferably fixed so that the detachable connection is detachable. Then, the guide means is lowered, so that the opening between the discharge chamber and ingot chamber can be closed.

• Schmelzen eines Metalls oder einer Metalllegierung,
• Gießen eines Ingots aus der Schmelze durch eine Kokille,
• Absenken des Ingots aus der Kokille auf ein Ingot-Haltemittel in einer Ingot-Kammer, während sich das Ingot-Haltemittel in einer Schmelzposition befindet,
• Bewegen des Ingot-Haltemittels, so dass das mit dem Ingot besetzte Ingot-Haltemittel die Schmelzposition für ein weiteres, unbesetztes Ingot-Haltemittel freigibt,
• Abkühlenlassen des Ingots in dem Ingot-Haltemittel während der nächste Ingot gegossen wird,
• Bewegen des besetzten Ingot-Haltemittels an eine Entladeposition in der Ingot-Kammer,
• Entladen des Ingots aus der Ingot-Kammer an der Entladeposition.

The invention also provides a process for the production of ingots of metal or metal alloy, in particular using the device described, comprising the steps

• Melting a metal or a metal alloy,
• Casting an ingot from the melt through a mold,
• Lowering the ingot from the mold onto an ingot holding means in an ingot chamber while the ingot holding means is in a melting position,
• Moving the ingot holding means such that the ingot holding means occupied by the ingot releases the melting position for another unoccupied ingot holding means,
• Allowing the ingot to be allowed to cool in the ingot holding means while the next ingot is being poured,
• Moving the occupied ingot holding means to an unloading position in the ingot chamber,
• Unloading the ingot from the ingot chamber at the unloading position.

The moving of the ingot from the ingot holding means at the unloading position can be done such that the ingot is moved to an unloading position located in a discharge chamber. Preferably, a valve or a lock is located between the discharge chamber and the ingot chamber, so that when removing the ingot from the discharge chamber, the inert gas atmosphere or the vacuum in the ingot chamber can be maintained. The lock or the valve is opened to unload the ingot from the ingot chamber and the ingot in particular mediated passes through the lifting device. The ingot is held in the discharge chamber so that the lifting device can be withdrawn. Then the sluice or the valve is closed again and the ingot can be removed from the discharge chamber without affecting the inert gas atmosphere or the vacuum in the ingot chamber.

Alternatively, the ingot to be unloaded may be discharged through a valve or other suitable opening in the ingot chamber. In such a case, it is advantageous to first equip all ingot holding means in the ingot chamber with ingots before unloading. Discharging may then involve prior evacuation and / or airborne flooding.

If a movement of the ingot holding means is mentioned here, this means in particular a horizontal movement, preferably a rotational movement about a vertical axis.

The metal or metal alloy processed according to the invention is preferably selected from Ni, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf and alloys thereof and alloys with these metals. The process is preferably carried out under inert gas or in vacuo; This is especially true for the atmosphere in the ingot chamber. By "vacuum" is meant a pressure which does not exceed a value of 400 Pa, in particular 250 Pa and particularly preferably 100 Pa. Even if inert gas is used, it is not necessary to operate at atmospheric pressure, but the pressure is preferably 500 to 1100 kPa, preferably less than 1000 kPa, more preferably less than 800 kPa. Preferred inert gas is helium.

The ingots produced by the method and apparatus according to the invention preferably have a length of at least 1 m, more preferably 1.5 m and particularly preferably at least 2 m. A length of preferably 5 m, more preferably 4 m and particularly preferably 3 m should not be exceeded for reasons of handling. The ingots preferably have a diameter of at least 50 mm, more preferably at least 100 mm. A thickness of 400 mm, more preferably 300 mm should not be exceeded in order not to hinder the cooling.

The ingots should, at the time of discharge, not exceed a temperature of preferably 500 ° C., more preferably of 400 ° C., since otherwise the reaction of the ingots with atmospheric oxygen is to be feared. Preferably, the ingots in the ingot chamber of at most 3500 ° C., preferably at most 3000 ° C., more preferably at most 2500 ° C., in particular at most 1500 ° C. or at most 1200 ° C., cool to the said discharge temperature. The ingot chamber preferably has a diameter of at least 1.5 m, more preferably at least 2 m, and most preferably at most 4 m. In preferred embodiments, the ingot chamber is formed substantially cylindrical, so has a circular base.

With the device and the method presented here, productivity increases of about 50% can be achieved without the device being constructed in a particularly complex manner. Furthermore, the inert gas consumption is reduced because the number and size of the chambers and the number of refills are small.

During a smelting campaign, the ingot chamber may preferably be maintained continuously on the process atmosphere. The switching times between individual melts can be reduced by a few orders of magnitude. The cooling of the ingots can be done within the ingot chamber. Since it is preferable to unload only when a plurality of ingots (eg 3, 4, 5 or more) has been poured, this time is sufficient to remove the ingots without risk. Especially with short melting times, the conventional station change is too lengthy and the cooling times too short.

pictures

• illustration 1 shows a partial view of a device according to the invention with a gas-tight ingot chamber 10, a melting chamber 20, a discharge chamber 30 and two lifting devices 40. The melting chamber 20 is disposed above the ingot chamber. The discharge chamber 30 is disposed above the ingot chamber 10. The lifting devices 40 are arranged below the ingot chamber 10. Further, a mold 21 is disposed in the melting chamber 20.
• Figure 2 shows the same device as illustration 1 in a sectional view. Within the ingot chamber 10 ingots 16 are shown, which are composed of a respective ingot body 14 and a starter bottom 12. The Figure 2 shows the device in a state with a starter bottom 12 raised into the mold 21. For this purpose, the first lifting device 40 is shown in a position in which a lifting means 42 is directly below the ingot chamber bottom 17 and a guide means 43 through the ingot Chamber 10 passes through to the mold 21. The lifting means 42 is shown in the form of a lifting unit which is movable on a guide rod 44. In contrast, the second lifting device 40 is shown in a position in which a lifting means 42 is shown in the lowest position. In this case, the guide means 43 is completely below the ingot holding means.
• Figure 3 shows a sectional view of a starter tray 12 in the mold 21. The starter bottom 12 was raised by means of the guide means 43 of the lifting device from an ingot holding means (not shown) in the melting position in the mold 21. In the course of the process, molten metal or metal alloy is placed on the contact surface 18 of the starter tray 12. There, the metal or the metal alloy solidifies to the ingot body and the starter bottom 12 is successively mediated by the guide means 43 moves down to the starter bottom 12 has reached the ingot holding means. Even before reaching the ingot holding means, the further formation of the ingot body is prevented, which can be done for example by aborting the supply of material or heat. By still continued lowering of the starter tray 12 with the ingot body formed thereon into the ingot holding means is achieved that the ingot body 14 produced separates and with a height which is less than the height of the ingot chamber 10, is obtained.
• Figure 4 shows a sectional view in the lower region of the ingot chamber 10. Shown is, inter alia, a rotatable plate 15, in which the ingot holding means 11 are arranged with starter trays 12 therein. The starter trays 12 have fixing elements 13. It can be seen that the starter trays 12 have a smaller diameter in the lower region than above. Thereby, the starter bottom 12 and with it the ingot body 14 by the holding means, in particular in the form of a pipe section 19, fixed. The ingot can not be moved to the sides or down, but only lifting up is possible. Shown is also the fixing unit 41 on the lifting device, which can enter into a releasable connection with a corresponding fixing element 13 on the starter bottom 12. It will further be appreciated that the guide means 43 is adapted to lift the ingot out of the ingot holding means 11, the guiding means 43 moving through the ingot chamber shuttle 17 and the ingot holding means 11.
• Figure 5 shows essentially the same section as Figure 4 with a different cutting plane.

LIST OF REFERENCES

• 10 - ingot chamber
• 11 - ingot holding means
• 12 - starter bottom
• 13 - fixing element
• 14 - ingot body
• 15 - rotatable plate
• 16 - Ingot
• 17 - ingot chamber bottom
• 18 - contact area
• 19 - pipe section
• 20 - melting chamber
• 21 - mold
• 30 - unloading chamber
• 40 - Lifting device
• 41 - fixation unit
• 42 - Lifting means
• 43 - Guide means
• 44 - Guide bar

Claims (15)

1. A device for the production of ingots (16) out of metal or metal alloy comprising

   a. at least one melting device,

   b. at least one ingot mold (21), wherein the ingot mold (21) is arranged such that molten metal or metal alloy from the melting device can be fed into it,

   c. at least one gas-tight ingot chamber (10) which is at least partially arranged below the ingot mold (21),
   characterized in that

   d. the ingot chamber (10) comprises several ingot retaining means (11) which are suitable for accommodating at least one ingot (16) each,

   e. wherein the ingot retaining means (11) can be moved horizontally so that

   i. an ingot retaining means (11) can be moved to a melting position below the ingot mold (21) for accommodating an ingot (16), and

   ii. subsequently can be moved to another place for vacating the melting position for another ingot retaining means (11).
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ingot retaining means (11) are arranged on a movable, in particularly rotatable plate (15).
3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one first lifting device (40) which is suitable for forming a detachable connection with an ingot (16) being formed by means of the ingot mold (21) and for guiding the ingot (16) to the ingot retaining means (11) in the melting position.
4. The device according to one of claims 1 to 3, comprising at least one discharge chamber (30) which is at least partially arranged above the ingot chamber (10) and comprises an opening toward the ingot chamber being in particularly gas-tightly sealable.
5. The device according to claim 4, comprising at least one second lifting device (40) which is suitable for lifting an ingot (16) from the ingot retaining means (11) in the ingot chamber (10) to a discharge site in the discharge chamber (30).
6. The device according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the melting device comprises at least one heating means which is preferably selected from plasma burner and/or electron beam gun.
7. The device according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ingot retaining means are movable around a substantially vertical axis of rotation.
8. The device according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, comprising at least four ingot retaining means.
9. A method for the production of ingots (16) out of metal or metal alloy, comprising the steps of

   a. melting a metal or a metal alloy,

   b. teeming an ingot (16) of the melt through an ingot mold (21),

   c. lowering the ingot (16) from the ingot mold (21) onto an ingot retaining means (11) in a gas-tight ingot chamber (10), while the ingot retaining means (11) is in a melting position,

   d. horizontally moving the ingot retaining means (11) so that the ingot retaining means (11) being occupied with the ingot (16) vacates the melting position for a further unoccupied ingot retaining means (11),

   e. allowing the ingot to cool down in the ingot retaining means (11),

   f. moving the occupied ingot retaining means (11) to a discharge position in the ingot chamber (10),

   g. discharging the ingot (16) from the ingot chamber (10) at the discharge position.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the metal or the metal alloy is selected from Ni, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf as well as alloys thereof and alloys with these metals.
11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the metal alloy comprises TiAl or consists thereof.
12. The method according to one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the method is conducted under inert gas or in vacuum.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the inert gas is helium.
14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the inert gas atmosphere or the vacuum is present in the ingot chamber.
15. The method according to at least one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the ingot at the time of discharging has a temperature of 500°C or lower.

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