This invention is concerned with the production of directionally solidified castings or ingots to eliminate casting defects such as macrosegregation and misoriented grain defects that occur in the blades for jet engines and industrial gas turbines. The mechanism of the occurrence of the above casting defects was clarified by the computer simulation system developed by this inventor, and it was found that, by strongly cooling the solid phase region and applying an axial static magnetic field, the heat pulses at the solidification interface due to convection of the liquid phase can be suppressed, and harmful lateral liquid flow in the solid-liquid coexisting phase can be suppressed by the synergistic effect of these two measures. This eliminates casting defects such as macrosegregation and misoriented grain defects, also refines the microstructure to produce high-quality products with excellent mechanical properties (creep strength). Regarding the strength of the static magnetic field, it was found that there is a range where the macrosegregation becomes minimum in a relatively low magnetic field range. This makes it possible to keep the required magnetic strength low, which significantly reduces the price of expensive superconducting coils. In addition, productivity can be improved by increasing the withdrawal speed.

Disclosed herein are gas control systems and associated methods of controlling gas in a mold in casting, such as aluminum casting. The system may have a first mass controller, a second mass controller, and a control device capable of switching the gas control system between a first operating state and a second operating state. The first mass controller and the second mass controller may have different flow rate ranges. In the first operating state, the gas control system may deactivate one of the first or second mass controllers, and in the second operating state, the gas control system may activate both first and second mass controllers.

In molten metal jetting, where droplets of metal are jetted to 3D print a part, each layer may be traversed each successive layer with a normalizing grinding wheel or other leveling device such as a layer to level each successive layer, and/or the melt reservoir or printing chamber may be filled with an anoxic gas mix to prevent oxidation.

An injection device of a light metal injection molding machine includes: a first inert gas storage part creating an inert gas atmosphere around a plunger insertion port of an injection cylinder; a second inert gas storage part housing surplus molten metal in a melting cylinder and creating an inert gas atmosphere above the molten metal; and a first pressure adjustment part adjusting a pressure in the first inert gas storage part to a pressure equal to or less than a pressure obtained by adding a pressure, which is determined based on a value obtained by multiplying a specific gravity of the molten metal by a height difference between a highest position and a lowest position of the molten metal in a part that includes the inside of the injection cylinder and communicates with the inside of the injection cylinder, and a pressure in the second inert gas storage part.

A method for producing cast items in a casting method, wherein a charge of a conductive material is introduced into the sphere of influence of at least one alternating electromagnetic field, so that the charge is kept in a levitating state. The melt is poured into moulds in order to produce turbine blades, prostheses or turbocharger impellers.

A casting system and process employs sealed lightweight mold segments that are assembled into a fixture that serves as a mold transportation device that is delivered via a mold line to a production line roll-over system which performs as a metal pouring station. This system may be employed in sand, semi-permanent and permanent casting environments. The fixture is pressurized with He, inverted by the roll-over system, then connected to a low-pressure furnace where metal pouring begins while maintaining pressurized He in the mold cavity. A counter-gravity delivery system allows the low-pressure furnace to deliver molten lightweight material that is free from oxides and dissolved hydrogen gas into the mold cavity.

A foundry casting system and process employs an inert gas delivery and recovery system for casting parts which results in cast parts having improved metalurgical characteristics. The system may be employed in sand, die casting, semi-permanent and permanent casting environments. Pressurized inert gas may be diffused into the mold before, during and after the metal pouring step. The resulting casting is free from oxides and dissolved hydrogen gas as they are removed from the mold cavity. This results in higher quality castings as well as increased production output due to faster cooling cycles.

A castable, moldable, or extrudable magnesium-based alloy that includes one or more insoluble additives. The insoluble additives can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of the structure, such as ductility and/or tensile strength. The final structure can be enhanced by heat treatment, as well as deformation processing such as extrusion, forging, or rolling, to further improve the strength of the final structure as compared to the non-enhanced structure. The magnesium-based composite has improved thermal and mechanical properties by the modification of grain boundary properties through the addition of insoluble nanoparticles to the magnesium alloys. The magnesium-based composite can have a thermal conductivity that is greater than 180 W/m-K, and/or ductility exceeding 15-20% elongation to failure.

A castable, moldable, or extrudable magnesium-based alloy that includes one or more insoluble additives. The insoluble additives can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of the structure, such as ductility and/or tensile strength. The final structure can be enhanced by heat treatment, as well as deformation processing such as extrusion, forging, or rolling, to further improve the strength of the final structure as compared to the non-enhanced structure. The magnesium-based composite has improved thermal and mechanical properties by the modification of grain boundary properties through the addition of insoluble nanoparticles to the magnesium alloys. The magnesium-based composite can have a thermal conductivity that is greater than 180 W/m-K, and/or ductility exceeding 15-20% elongation to failure.

An alloy modifying agent for use in preparing a metal semisolid slurry, where the components and mass ratio thereof is silicon:iron:copper:manganese:magnesium:zinc:titanium:lead:aluminum having a mass ratio of (6.05-6.95):(0.15-0.45):(0.12-0.65):(0.002-0.006):(0.001-0.5):(0.025-0.05):(0.002-0.08):(0.002-0.06):(90.5-93.2). Also, a method for preparing the alloy modifying agent and a method for using the alloy modifying agent. The alloy modifying agent is capable of increasing the solid-liquid ratio and the spherical crystal content of the semisolid slurry, increasing the preparation efficiency of the semisolid slurry and the quality of the slurry, and ensuring the quality of a final die casting product.