JP2001252759A - Casting method, casting facility, method for producing metallic raw and apparatus for producing metallic raw - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a casting in which the increases of applying cost and raw material cost are restrained and thixotropy is effectively utilized without needing a complicated control. SOLUTION: This casting method comprises a first producing process, in which molten magnesium alloy M1 is cooled and metallic slurry M2 containing a solid phase is produced, a second producing process, in which this metallic slurry M2 is further cooled and a solidified metallic blank M3 is produced, and a process, in which this metallic raw M3 is heated till becoming semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 and this semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 is supplied into a metallic mold 90.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for casting metal containing various alloys, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a metal material applied to a casting apparatus or an injection molding machine. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a casting method, a casting facility, a method of manufacturing a metal material, and a manufacturing apparatus that effectively utilize thixotropy of a semi-molten / semi-solid metal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Thixotropy of semi-molten and semi-solid metal,
That is, thixocasting (semi-solid casting) and rheocasting (semi-solidification casting) are conventionally known as casting methods utilizing the property of low viscosity and excellent fluidity. In these casting methods, casting is performed using a semi-molten / semi-solidified metal slurry in which a molten liquid phase metal and a solid phase metal are mixed.

In the thixocast method, a solid metal is heated to a semi-molten metal slurry and supplied to a mold. On the other hand, in the rheocast method, after a solid metal is once melted, this molten metal is cooled until it becomes a semi-solidified metal slurry having granular crystals, and this is supplied to a mold.

According to these casting methods, the solid phase ratio is high,
In addition, casting using low-viscosity metal becomes possible, so that the filling property of the mold is improved, the yield is improved, large products can be molded, the occurrence of shrinkage cavities is suppressed, and the mechanical strength is improved. There are advantages such as being able to reduce the thickness of the product. In addition, since the heat load on the mold is reduced, the service life of the mold is extended.

[0005]

In any of the casting methods described above, in order to effectively utilize the thixotropy of semi-molten metal and the fluidity of semi-solid metal,
It is necessary that the semi-solid / semi-solid metal has as fine and uniform non-dendritic crystals (preferably spherical crystals) as possible. However, simply heating the solid metal to a semi-molten state or simply cooling the molten metal to a semi-solid state will result in most of them becoming dendrites and appearing in the semi-molten / semi-solid metal. The thixotropy of the semi-molten metal and the fluidity of the semi-solid metal cannot be sufficiently obtained.

For this reason, in the thixomolding method, a screw-type extruder used in an injection molding machine is generally applied, and the solid metal is heated sequentially while applying a shearing force to the solid metal in a barrel of the extruder to reduce the temperature by half. A method of using a metal slurry in a molten state is often used.

[0007] However, the screw type extruder has a complicated structure and is expensive, so that the application cost to the casting equipment is extremely large. Moreover, since the metal slurry generated in the barrel of the extruder is supplied to the mold as it is, it is not possible to confirm whether the crystal state is a desired non-dendritic crystal. Moreover,
As the solid metal to be supplied to the barrel, it is necessary to apply what is formed into a chip shape, and the raw material cost becomes extremely high.

On the other hand, in the rheocast method, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-10-34307,
The molten metal in the holding furnace is cooled to a solid-liquid coexisting state consisting of a solid phase and a liquid phase by contacting it with a cooling body. Is used.

According to such a method, a large number of crystal nuclei are crystallized at the stage when the molten metal comes into contact with the cooling body, and further they grow in a spherical shape in the holding vessel. A desired metal slurry can be obtained without requiring an extruder. Moreover, since the metal lump may be supplied to the holding furnace as it is, an increase in raw material costs can be suppressed.
Furthermore, it is also possible to easily confirm whether or not the metal slurry generated in the holding vessel has a desired non-dendritic crystal, and to effectively utilize the fluidity of the semi-solid metal. Casting becomes possible.

However, in order to actually establish a mass production system in the above-mentioned rheocasting method, a large number of holding vessels are installed between a cooling body for cooling the molten metal and a mold to which the metal slurry is supplied. In addition, the step of bringing the molten metal into contact with the cooling body and the step of supplying the metal slurry to the mold have to be linked by using a large number of holding containers, and require extremely complicated control. Furthermore, accurate control of the temperature is required for the metal slurry in each holding container until it is supplied to the mold, which further complicates the above control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a casting method and a casting facility which can suppress an increase in application costs and raw material costs, and enable casting utilizing thixotropic effectively without requiring complicated control. The task is to provide.

[0012]

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, it has been found that when a metal slurry having non-dendritic crystals is rapidly cooled, thixotropy can be obtained even if it solidifies to become a metal material. It was confirmed that, when it was potentially held and heated to a semi-molten state, thixotropic again appeared for about one hour. The present invention solves the above-described problem by utilizing the property of exhibiting thixotropy again when a metal slurry having such non-dendritic crystals is heated to a semi-molten state even after being once solidified into a metal material and then heated to a semi-molten state. It was done.

That is, in the casting method according to the present invention, a first forming step of cooling the molten metal to form a metal slurry containing a solid phase, and further cooling the solidified metal material by further cooling the metal slurry A second generating step to be generated and a step of heating the metal material to a semi-molten state and supplying it to a mold are included. In this case, it is preferable that the second generation step includes a step of continuously generating a metal material from the metal slurry and cutting the metal material to a predetermined length.

Further, in the casting equipment according to the present invention, first generating means for cooling the molten metal to generate a metal slurry containing a solid phase, and further cooling the metal slurry to generate a solidified metal material And heating the metal material to a semi-molten state and then supplying it to a mold. In this case, the second generation means:
It is preferable that a metal material is continuously generated from the metal slurry, and that the metal material is provided with a cutting unit that cuts the metal material into a predetermined length. It is preferable to be able to move along the traveling direction and to cut the metal material in a state where the relative speed with respect to the metal material is zero.

[0015] The method for producing a metal material according to the present invention is a method for producing a metal material to be supplied to a mold while being heated to a semi-molten state. A first generation step of generating a metal slurry containing the metal slurry, and a second generation step of further cooling and solidifying the metal slurry.
And a generation step. In this case, it is preferable that the second generation step includes a step of continuously solidifying the metal slurry and cutting the metal slurry to a predetermined length.

Further, in the apparatus for manufacturing a metal material according to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a metal material supplied to a mold while being heated to a semi-molten state. A first generation means for generating a metal slurry containing the second metal slurry, and a second means for further cooling and solidifying the metal slurry.
And a generating means. In this case, it is preferable that the second generation means is provided with a cutting unit for continuously solidifying the metal slurry and cutting the metal slurry to a predetermined length. It is preferable to be able to move along the moving direction of the metal material that has been cut, and to cut the metal material in a state where the relative speed with respect to the metal material is zero.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a casting facility according to the present invention. The casting equipment exemplified here is for casting a desired product using a magnesium alloy represented by AZ91D as a raw material, and includes a melting tank 1.

A melting tank 1 has a melting heater 2 around its periphery.
This is for maintaining the above-mentioned magnesium alloy in a molten state, that is, a liquidus temperature state by driving the melting heater 2. This melting tank 1
Is provided with a hot water passage 3 at its bottom. The tapping passage 3 is for pouring the molten magnesium alloy stored in the melting tank 1 downward, is bent substantially in a crank shape, and has a switching valve 4 in the middle thereof. The switching valve 4 is constituted by a valve plunger 5 arranged to be able to advance and retreat so as to open and close the hot water passage 3 and a valve cylinder 6 for moving the valve plunger 5 forward and backward.

In the lower area of the melting tank 1, a cooling unit 10 is provided as first generating means. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cooling unit 10 has a plurality of guide grooves 11 on the surface and a cooling water circulation passage 12 therein. The cooling unit 10 is inclined with the guide groove 11 facing the lower end opening of the hot water passage 3. Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 1 is a cover block that communicates with the lower end opening of the hot water passage 3 and that is arranged so as to cover the cooling unit 10 at a predetermined distance from the surface thereof.

Further, the casting facility is provided with a storage tank 20, a pair of feed rollers 30, 31 and a cutting unit 40 as second generating means.

The storage tank 20 is a tank opened on the upper surface,
The cooling unit 10 is disposed below the lower end. The storage tank 20 is provided with a material forming passage 21 having a circular cross section. The material forming passage 21 extends horizontally from the lower part of the storage tank 20 and opens to the side wall, and has a quenching unit 22 at the opening end. Quenching unit 22
As shown in FIG. 3A, an annular jacket 23 surrounding the entire periphery of the material forming passage 21 and an injection port 24 opened from the annular jacket 23 toward the axis of the material forming passage 21 are formed. It has a configuration.

The pair of feed rollers 30, 31 are vertically arranged side by side with their peripheral surfaces facing each other. Each feed roller 30, 31 has a feed groove 30 a, having a radius of curvature that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the material forming passage 21 described above, on each peripheral surface.
The feed grooves 30a and 31a are spaced from each other so that the distance between the feed grooves 30a and 31a matches the inner diameter of the material forming passage 21. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, a rotation actuator is linked to each of the feed rollers 30 and 31, and the feed roller 30 positioned above the feed roller 30 and 31 is shown in FIG.
3A, the feed roller 31 positioned below rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3A.

The cutting unit 40 is, as shown in FIG.
A unit main body 41, a fixed clamper 42A, a movable clamper 42B, and a pair of discharge rollers 44 and 45 are provided.

The unit main body 41 is movably supported by a guide rod 46, and is provided with the material forming passage 21 described above.
It is possible to reciprocate horizontally along the axial direction of the material forming passage 21 on the extension area of the material. A retract cylinder 47 is interposed between the unit main body 41 and the fixed frame F. The retract cylinder 47 is
The unit body 41 is allowed to move when an external force acts on the unit body 41 in a direction away from the storage tank 20, while the unit body 41 is returned to a position close to the storage tank 20 when extended. Actuator.

Fixed clamper 42A and movable clamper 4
2B are slits 4 as shown in FIG.
Clamp through hole 49 opened by 8A, 48B
A, 49B is a block-shaped member. Each of the clamp through holes 49A and 49B has a slightly larger inner diameter than the material forming passage 21 described above. The slits 48A and 48B are formed along a plane including the axis of the clamp through holes 49A and 49B, and have a function of expanding and contracting the inner diameter of the clamp through holes 49A and 49B by appropriately changing the width thereof. is there. Each slit 48A, 4
8B has a tapered inclined surface 50 at each open end.
A and 50B are formed, and a pair of rod through-holes 51A and 51B cross each other at a position corresponding to an intermediate portion. The tapered inclined surfaces 50A and 50B are inclined portions whose width gradually increases outward. The rod through holes 51A and 51B are provided so as to be parallel to each other, and hemispherical concave portions 52A and 52
B.

These clampers 42A and 42B are provided with a pair of clamp hydraulic cylinders 53A and 53B and unclamping hydraulic cylinders 54A and 54B, respectively.

The clamp hydraulic cylinders 53A and 53B are
Each of the piston rods 53 via the clamp piece 55
aA, 53aB are connected to the rod through holes 51A, 51B described above.
And each piston rod 53aA, 53a
The clamp pieces 56 are attached to the protruding ends of B, respectively, so as to be held by the clampers 42A and 42B.
The clamp pieces 55 and 56 have rod through holes 51A and 51B.
The portions facing the concave portions 52A and 52B are
A piece member having a spherical shape with a radius matching the diameter of the clampers A, 52B. When the clamp hydraulic pressure acts on the clamp hydraulic cylinders 53A, 53B, the slits 48A, 48B of the clampers 42A, 42B are narrowed through the concave portions 52A, 52B. That is, it functions so as to reduce the diameter of the clamp through holes 49A and 49B.

Unclamp hydraulic cylinders 54A, 54B
Are held by the clampers 42A, 42B via the holding bracket 57 in a state where the distal ends of the piston rods 54aA, 54aB face the opening ends of the slits 48A, 48B. Each unclamping hydraulic cylinder 54A, 5
4B piston rods 54aA, 54aB and slit 4
An expanding rod 58 is interposed between the tapered inclined surfaces 50A, 50B of 8A, 48B. The expanding rod 58 is a cylindrical member that abuts against the tapered inclined surfaces 50A and 50B.
When the unclamping hydraulic pressure acts on the clampers 42A, 54B, the clampers 42A, 54A,
It functions to widen the slits 48A, 48B of the 42B, that is, to expand the diameters of the clamp through holes 49A, 49B.

The fixed clamper 4 having the above configuration
2A is an axial center of the clamp through hole 49A.
The slit 48A is fixed to the above-mentioned unit main body 41 in a state of being aligned with the first axis and the slit 48A extending vertically upward.

On the other hand, the movable clamper 42B
8B extends vertically downward, and the end facing the storage tank 20 contacts the fixed clamper 42A.
9 is held.

The cutting cylinder 59 includes a piston rod 59
This is attached to the unit main body 41 via the cylinder main body 59b in a state in which a is directed vertically downward, and has a function of moving the movable clamper 42B with respect to the fixed clamper 42A in the vertical direction. When the cutting cylinder 59 is most retracted, the movable clamper 42
B stops at the highest position, and its clamp through hole 4
A state where the axis of 9B coincides with the axis of the material forming passage 21,
That is, the clamp through hole 49B is in a state in which the clamp through hole 49B matches the clamp through hole 49A of the fixed clamper 42A. On the other hand, when the cutting cylinder 59 extends most, the movable clamper 42B descends most, and the clamp through hole 49B stops at a position completely displaced from the clamp through hole 49A of the fixed clamper 42A.

The pair of discharge rollers 44, 45 are vertically arranged side by side on a roller bracket 60 extending from the movable clamper 42B with the peripheral surfaces thereof facing each other. Each of the discharge rollers 44 and 45 has on its peripheral surface discharge discharge grooves 44a and 45a having a radius of curvature substantially equal to the inner diameter of the material forming passage 21 described above. The distance between the material forming passages 21
Are spaced from each other to match the inside diameter of Although not explicitly shown in the figure, each discharge roller 44, 45
In FIG. 3A, a rotation actuator is linked, and the upper discharge roller 44 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3A, while the lower discharge roller 45 is rotated in FIG.
It rotates counterclockwise in (a).

Reference numeral 61 in FIG. 1 denotes a guide block that connects between the cover block 13 and the storage tank 20.

Further, the casting equipment is provided with an injection device 70 as shown in FIG. The injection device 70 supplies a metal heated to a semi-molten state to the mold 90 and includes a heating chamber 71. The heating chamber 71 is a substantially closed chamber whose periphery is covered by a heater 72, and a discharge port 73 provided at the upper end thereof is connected to a pouring port 91 of a mold 90 through an auxiliary nozzle 74.

The heating chamber 71 has a suction rod 7
5 and a preheating barrel 76 are provided.

The suction rod 75 is a columnar member movably disposed on the upper end wall of the heating chamber 71. The suction rod 75 is connected to a suction cylinder 77, and is moved forward and backward with respect to the inside of the heating chamber 71 by the operation of the suction cylinder 77.

The preheating barrel 76 includes a heating chamber 71.
Is a cylindrical member extending along the horizontal direction from the side wall of the cylindrical member. The preheating barrel 76 has a distal end portion having substantially the same inside diameter as the material forming passage 21 of the storage tank 20 described above, while a base end portion close to the heating chamber 71 has a larger inside diameter. The gap between them is continuous by a tapered inner diameter portion. As shown in FIG. 4, a charging opening 78 is provided at the top of the preheating barrel 76 at the top thereof.
A chute plate 79 is connected to 8.

The preheating barrel 76 is provided with a preheating heater 80 on the outer periphery of the base end thereof, and a plunger 81 on the tip thereof.

The pre-heating heater 80 includes a pre-heating barrel 7
6 is provided so as to surround the periphery. The pre-heating heater 80 is for heating the pre-heating barrel 76 and is set at a heating temperature slightly lower than the heating heater 72 of the heating chamber 71 described above.

The plunger 81 is a columnar member having a size that fits into the tip of the preheating barrel 76. The plunger 81 is connected to an extrusion cylinder 82 for moving the plunger 81 forward and backward inside the preheating barrel 76.

In the casting equipment configured as described above, first, a lump of magnesium alloy is put into the melting tank 1 and the melting heater 2 is driven to hold the molten magnesium alloy in the melting tank 1 and the cooling unit. The state in which the cooling water is circulated through the cooling water supply unit 10 and the cooling water is further supplied to the rapid cooling unit 22 is a standby state. In this case, the cutting unit 40
In, the retract cylinder 47 is extended,
The unit main body 41 is arranged at a position close to the storage tank 20, the cutting cylinder 59 is retracted, and the movable clamper 42B is stopped at the highest position. In addition, the unclamping hydraulic pressure is applied to the unclamping hydraulic cylinders 54A, 54B while the clamp hydraulic cylinders 53A, 53B are kept at the tank pressure, so that both the fixed clamper 42A and the movable clamper 42B expand the clamp through holes 49A, 49B. It is kept in a state of diameter. Further, the pair of feed rollers 30, 31 rotate each at a constant speed, while the discharge rollers 44, 45 hold each in a stopped state.

When the valve cylinder 6 is retracted from the standby state and the valve plunger 5 is retracted, the tapping passage 3 is opened, and the molten magnesium alloy M1 stored in the melting tank 1 passes through the tapping passage 3 to cool the cooling unit 1 through the tapping passage 3.
0 (arrow A in FIG. 1).

The molten magnesium alloy M1 poured into the cooling unit 10 flows down the guide groove 11 according to the inclination of the cooling unit 10 and is once stored in the storage tank 20 (arrow B in FIG. 1). ). During this time, the molten magnesium alloy M1 flowing down the cooling unit 10 is appropriately cooled by the cooling unit 10 to become a metal slurry M2 in which a large number of crystal nuclei are crystallized. And have fine and uniform spherical crystals. That is, sufficient fluidity can be obtained in the metal slurry M2 without requiring an expensive extruder, and the increase in application cost can be significantly reduced. In addition, since the metal lump may be supplied to the melting tank 1 as it is, an increase in raw material costs can be suppressed.

The metal slurry M 2 once stored in the storage tank 20 is subsequently discharged to the outside through the material forming passage 21. During this time, the metal slurry M2 passing through the material forming passage 21 is supplied to the annular jacket 2 of the quenching unit 22.
3 is cooled by the cooling water passing through
Since the metal material is rapidly cooled by the cooling water injected and supplied from the tank 4, the metal material M3 has a completely solidified cylindrical shape and is continuously discharged to the outside of the storage tank 20.
Here, the completely solidified metal material M3 is generated by rapidly cooling the metal slurry M2 having sufficient thixotropy and potentially holds the thixotropy. This can be easily confirmed by observing the crystal structure contained in the metal material M3.

Next, the metal material M3 discharged from the storage tank 20 is supplied to the cutting unit 40 by a pair of feed rollers 30 and 31, and is supplied to the clamp through hole 49A of the fixed clamper 42A and the clamp through hole 49B of the movable clamper 42B. And a pair of discharge rollers 44,
45 is supplied.

During this time, in the casting facility, the number of rotations of the feed rollers 30, 31 is constantly monitored.
When the number of revolutions reaches a preset value, a cutting process of the metal material M3 is performed according to the following procedure.

That is, when the number of rotations of the feed rollers 30 and 31 reaches a preset value, first, the clamp hydraulic cylinders 53A and 53B and the unclamping hydraulic cylinder 54
The hydraulic pressures acting on A and 54B are appropriately switched, and both the fixed clamper 42A and the movable clamper 42B hold the clamp through holes 49A and 49B in a reduced diameter. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the metal material M3 is fixed by the fixed clamper 42A and the movable clamper 42B.
Is clamped, and the unit main body 41 moves along the guide rod 46 together with the metal material M3 while retracting the retract cylinder 47, so that the relative speed between the clampers 42A and 42B and the metal material M3 becomes zero.

Thereafter, the extension operation of the cutting cylinder 59 is immediately started, and the movable clamper 42B is sequentially moved downward with respect to the fixed clamper 42A. As a result, FIG.
As shown in (b), a shearing force acts between the metal material M3 after passing through the fixed clamper 42A and the metal material M3 before that, and the cutting of the metal material M3 proceeds at these boundaries.

As shown in FIG. 5C, the cutting cylinder 5
9, the cutting operation of the metal blank M3 is completed, and the hydraulic pressure applied to the clamp hydraulic cylinder 53B and the unclamping hydraulic cylinder 54B is appropriately switched only in the movable clamper 42B.
Holds the clamp through-hole 49B in an expanded state. Further, when the discharge rollers 44 and 45 are rotated at the same time, the cut metal material M3 moves with respect to the movable clamper 42B and is discharged onto a predetermined conveyor 100 (see FIG. 1).

The cut metal material M3 is transferred to the conveyor 1
5D, the rotation of the discharge rollers 44, 45 is stopped, and the cutting cylinder 59 and the fixed clamper 42A are respectively returned to the standby state, and the retracted state is further discharged from this state, as shown in FIG. The cylinder 47 is extended to return the unit body 41 to the standby state.

Thereafter, by repeatedly performing the above-described operation, the metal material M3 is sequentially discharged onto the conveyor 100 in a predetermined length.

In the above cutting step, since the cutting unit 40 cuts the metal material M3 in a state where the relative speed with respect to the metal material M3 is zero, the generation of the metal material M3 is performed. This can be cut continuously without stopping.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the metal material M3 produced as described above is sequentially introduced into the preheating barrel 76 from the introduction opening 78 via the chute plate 79. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the metal material M3 is charged into the preheating barrel 76, the preheating heater 80 and the heating heater 7 of the heating chamber 71 are heated.
2 are sequentially driven.

The metal material M3 charged into the preheating barrel 76 is sequentially supplied to the heating chamber 71 by the reciprocating movement of the plunger 81, and becomes a semi-molten state in the heating chamber 71 as shown in FIG. Will be retained.

According to the casting apparatus, the metal material M3 is preheated by the preheater 80 while the metal material M3 is in the preheating barrel 76.
As soon as 3 reaches the heating chamber 71, it can be brought into a semi-molten state. Further, since the inner diameter of the preheating barrel 76 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the metal material M3, the preheating barrel 76 is closed by the metal material M3 before being heated to the semi-molten state, and the heating chamber 71 is closed. There is no danger that the semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 inside will flow backward.

When a predetermined amount of the magnesium alloy M4 in the semi-molten state is stored in the heating chamber 71 as described above, as shown in FIG.
The plunger 81 moves forward by the extension operation of, and the suction rod 75 moves into the heating chamber 71 by the extension operation of the suction cylinder 77. As a result, the magnesium alloy M2 in the semi-molten state stored in the heating chamber 71 is supplied to the mold 90 through the discharge port 73 and the auxiliary nozzle 74, and is formed into a desired shape in the mold 90. become.

Here, the semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 supplied to the mold 90 is obtained by heating a metal material M3 that potentially holds thixotropy, and exhibits thixotropy again. Therefore, casting using this thixotropy effectively becomes possible, that is, casting using a magnesium alloy having a high solid phase ratio and low viscosity becomes possible, and the filling property to the mold 90 is improved, and the yield is improved. In addition, there are advantages that a large product can be molded, the mechanical strength can be improved by suppressing the occurrence of shrinkage cavities, and the product can be made thinner.
Further, since the heat load on the mold 90 is reduced, the service life of the mold 90 is extended.

Further, according to the above-mentioned casting equipment, the metal slurry M2 is once solidified to form a metal material M3, which is heated again to a semi-molten state and supplied to the mold 90. In addition, there is no need to link the cooling unit 10 for cooling the molten metal and the injection device 70 or to perform accurate temperature control on the metal material M3. Therefore, complicated control is not required at all, and it is possible to extremely easily perform casting that effectively utilizes thixotropy. Further, once solidified metal material M3 can be handled as a single substance, it is possible to further improve convenience.

Semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 in mold 90
When the supply of the suction cylinder 77 is completed, as shown in FIG.
Is degenerated to lower the level of the molten metal in the heating chamber 71. Therefore, the situation where the semi-molten magnesium alloy M4 solidifies in the discharge port 73 and the auxiliary nozzle 74 does not occur.

Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeatedly performed.
In the mold 90, a desired product can be mass-produced.

In the above-described embodiment, a casting facility for manufacturing a product using a magnesium alloy as a raw material is illustrated. However, a product using a metal or alloy such as aluminum or its alloy as a raw material is manufactured. It is also possible.

In the above-described embodiment, since the cutting unit for cutting the metal material is provided, the metal material can be easily handled. However, it is not always necessary to provide the cutting unit. Absent. In this case, the generated metal material may be directly heated to a semi-molten state and supplied to a mold. Further, the generated metal material does not necessarily have to have a circular cross section.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Unlike the conventional thixocast method, an expensive extruder is not required, and a metal lump can be applied as it is, so that an increase in application cost and an increase in raw material cost can be suppressed. In addition, since the generated metal slurry is once solidified, the process of generating the metal slurry and the process of supplying it to the mold are linked, and accurate temperature control is performed on the solidified metal slurry. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform casting that effectively uses thixotropy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view conceptually showing one embodiment of a casting facility according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view of a first producing means for producing a metal slurry by cooling a molten metal, and FIG. 2B is a transverse sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a second generation unit that generates a metal material from a metal slurry, and FIG.
It is a 3 line expanded sectional view.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating a cutting process of a metal material by a cutting unit.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating a process of supplying a metal material to a mold.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 melting tank 2 melting heater 3 tapping passage 4 switching valve 5 valve plunger 6 valve cylinder 10 cooling unit 11 guide groove 12 circulation passage 13 cover block 20 storage tank 21 material forming passage 22 quenching unit 23 annular jacket 24 injection port 30, 31 Feed roller 30a, 31a Feed groove 40 Cutting unit 41 Unit body 42A Fixed clamper 42B Movable clamper 44, 45 Discharge roller 44a, 45a Discharge feed groove 46 Guide rod 47 Retract cylinder 48A, 48B Slit 49A, 49B Clamp through hole 50A, 50B Taper Inclined surface 51A, 51B Rod through hole 52A, 52B Recess 53A, 53B Clamp hydraulic cylinder 53aA, 53aB Piston rod 54A, 54B Unclamp hydraulic cylinder 4aA, 54aB Piston rod 55, 56 Clamping piece 57 Holding bracket 58 Expansion rod 59 Cutting cylinder 59a Piston rod 59b Cylinder main body 60 Roller bracket 70 Injection device 71 Heating chamber 72 Heater 73 Discharge port 74 Auxiliary nozzle 75 Suction rod 76 Reserve Heating barrel 77 Suction cylinder 78 Charging opening 79 Chute plate 80 Preheater 81 Plunger 82 Extrusion cylinder 90 Mold 91 Pouring port 100 Transport conveyor F Fixed frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B22D 17/30 B22D 17/30 Z (71) Applicant 500104565 Kiyotaka Yoshihara 2-1-2-5 Higashichuo, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture (71) Applicant 500104370 Seiko Idea Center Co., Ltd. 4-10-10 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Sukuya Building (72) Inventor Teichi Mogi 6-41-25-105 Futawahigashi, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture (72) Inventor Miyazaki Kiichi 2272-7 Kaminote, Tamamura-machi, Sawa-gun, Gunma Prefecture (72) Inventor Yoshitomo Tezuka 83-7 Suwa-cho, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo (72) Inventor Kiyotaka Yoshihara 2-1-2-5 Higashichuo, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima F-term (reference) 4E004 BA10 MA01 NA03 NB04 NC06 SD05 SE02

Claims (10)

[Claims] A first generation step of cooling a molten metal to generate a metal slurry containing a solid phase; and a second generation step of further cooling the metal slurry to generate a solidified metal material. And a step of heating the metal material to a semi-molten state and supplying it to a mold. 2. The casting method according to claim 1, wherein the second generation step includes a step of continuously generating a metal material from a metal slurry and cutting the metal material to a predetermined length. 3. A first generating means for cooling a molten metal to generate a metal slurry containing a solid phase, and a second generating means for further cooling the metal slurry to generate a solidified metal material. Wherein the metal material is heated to a semi-molten state and then supplied to a mold. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second generating means includes a cutting unit for continuously generating a metal material from the metal slurry and cutting the metal material to a predetermined length. Casting equipment. 5. The cutting unit is movable along a traveling direction of a continuously generated metal material, and cuts the metal material in a state where a relative speed with respect to the metal material is zero. The casting facility according to claim 4, wherein 6. A method for producing a metal material which is supplied to a mold while being heated to a semi-molten state, wherein the molten metal is cooled to form a metal slurry containing a solid phase. A method for producing a metal material, comprising: a generation step; and a second generation step of further cooling and solidifying the metal slurry. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second generation step includes a step of continuously solidifying the metal slurry and cutting the same into a predetermined length. 8. An apparatus for producing a metal material to be supplied to a mold while being heated to a semi-molten state, the apparatus comprising a first step of cooling a molten metal to produce a metal slurry containing a solid phase. An apparatus for producing a metal material, comprising: a generating unit; and a second generating unit that further cools and solidifies the metal slurry. 9. The apparatus for manufacturing a metal material according to claim 8, wherein said second generating means includes a cutting unit for continuously solidifying the metal slurry and cutting the metal slurry to a predetermined length. . 10. The cutting unit is movable along a traveling direction of a continuously generated metal material, and cuts the metal material in a state where a relative speed with respect to the metal material is zero. The apparatus for producing a metal material according to claim 9, wherein: