To provide a system for producing steel castings that is simple and suitable to continuously produce many small steel castings. A system 1 comprises multiple furnaces 10 that are aligned and hold molten metal for cast steel, a pouring machine 20 that has a ladle 30 that receives the molten metal from the furnaces, wherein the pouring machine travels in parallel to a line of the furnaces and pours the molten metal into a mold 70 by tilting the ladle, a line 60 for conveying the molds that intermittently conveys molds that are aligned in parallel to a direction in which the pouring machine travels, wherein the line is located on the opposite side of the furnaces across the pouring machine, and a temperature sensor 38 that measures a temperature of the molten metal so as to generate an alarm if the temperature is low.

A slag volume evaluation method for a molten metal surface includes calculating an approximation curve indicating a correspondence between a thickness of slag and a density parameter in advance by measuring thicknesses of a plurality of pieces of the slag which float on a surface of a molten metal in a container and differ from each other in thickness, and calculating a value of the density parameter which is correlated to a density in a pixel region corresponding to the plurality of pieces of the slag in a captured image of a molten metal surface in the container; and calculating a volume of the slag by calculating and integrating the thickness of the slag for each of pixels constituting the captured image obtained by capturing an image of the molten metal surface which is an evaluation target, according to a value of the density parameter of each of the pixels and the approximation curve.

Techniques are disclosed for reducing macrosegregation in cast metals. Techniques include providing an eductor nozzle capable of increasing mixing in the fluid region of an ingot being cast. Techniques also include providing a non-contacting flow control device to mix and/or apply pressure to the molten metal that is being introduced to the mold cavity. The non-contacting flow control device can be permanent magnet or electromagnet based. Techniques additionally can include actively cooling and mixing the molten metal before introducing the molten metal to the mold cavity.

Techniques are disclosed for reducing macrosegregation in cast metals. Techniques include providing an eductor nozzle capable of increasing mixing in the fluid region of an ingot being cast. Techniques also include providing a non-contacting flow control device to mix and/or apply pressure to the molten metal that is being introduced to the mold cavity. The non-contacting flow control device can be permanent magnet or electromagnet based. Techniques additionally can include actively cooling and mixing the molten metal before introducing the molten metal to the mold cavity.

A pouring apparatus comprises a ladle configured to include a body and a nozzle, and a controller configured to control a tilt angle of the ladle, wherein the body includes a side face portion, an inner surface of the side face portion is formed in a cylindrical shape or in a conical shape, the nozzle includes a nozzle tip for guiding molten metal to the outside and is integrated with the body on a side of the body, in order to guide the molten metal in the body to the nozzle tip and to pour out the molten metal through the nozzle tip, and the controller controls the tilt angle on the basis of a surface area of the molten metal when the ladle is tilted.

A pouring apparatus comprises a ladle configured to include a body and a nozzle, and a controller configured to control a tilt angle of the ladle, wherein the body includes a side face portion, an inner surface of the side face portion is formed in a cylindrical shape or in a conical shape, the nozzle includes a nozzle tip for guiding molten metal to the outside and is integrated with the body on a side of the body, in order to guide the molten metal in the body to the nozzle tip and to pour out the molten metal through the nozzle tip, and the controller controls the tilt angle on the basis of a surface area of the molten metal when the ladle is tilted.

A leakage of a molten metal is suppressed at the time of pouring. A control method for an automatic pouring apparatus according to one embodiment includes: calculating a dropping position of a molten metal on a horizontal surface passing through a height position of a sprue, a flow velocity of the molten metal in the dropping position, and a radius of a sectional surface of the molten metal on the horizontal surface, on the basis of a dropping trajectory of the molten metal flowing out from a discharge port, generating an objective function which is relevant to a total weight of the molten metal flowing into a mold from a ladle and depends on a distance between the discharge port and the center of the sprue in a predetermined direction, on the basis of the dropping position, the flow velocity of the molten metal in the dropping position, the radius of the sectional surface of the molten metal on the horizontal surface, a radius of the sprue, a flow rate of the molten metal flowing out from the discharge port, and a density of the molten metal, and calculating the distance between the discharge port and the center of the sprue in the predetermined direction, in which the total weight of the molten metal flowing into the mold from the ladle is maximized, on the basis of the objective function.

A leakage of a molten metal is suppressed at the time of pouring. A control method for an automatic pouring apparatus according to one embodiment includes: calculating a dropping position of a molten metal on a horizontal surface passing through a height position of a sprue, a flow velocity of the molten metal in the dropping position, and a radius of a sectional surface of the molten metal on the horizontal surface, on the basis of a dropping trajectory of the molten metal flowing out from a discharge port, generating an objective function which is relevant to a total weight of the molten metal flowing into a mold from a ladle and depends on a distance between the discharge port and the center of the sprue in a predetermined direction, on the basis of the dropping position, the flow velocity of the molten metal in the dropping position, the radius of the sectional surface of the molten metal on the horizontal surface, a radius of the sprue, a flow rate of the molten metal flowing out from the discharge port, and a density of the molten metal, and calculating the distance between the discharge port and the center of the sprue in the predetermined direction, in which the total weight of the molten metal flowing into the mold from the ladle is maximized, on the basis of the objective function.

An inspection device is a device that inspects the appearance of a target, including: an imaging device configured to image the target from a first direction; an illuminating unit configured to apply light to the target; and a controller configured to acquire a first inspection image by causing the imaging device to image the target to which light is applied from a first position, to acquire a second inspection image by causing the imaging device to image the target to which light is applied from a second position, and to inspect an appearance of the target based on the first inspection image, the second inspection image, and a reference image. The first position and the second position overlap each other when viewed from the first direction.

An inspection device is a device that inspects the appearance of a target, including: an imaging device configured to image the target from a first direction; an illuminating unit configured to apply light to the target; and a controller configured to acquire a first inspection image by causing the imaging device to image the target to which light is applied from a first position, to acquire a second inspection image by causing the imaging device to image the target to which light is applied from a second position, and to inspect an appearance of the target based on the first inspection image, the second inspection image, and a reference image. The first position and the second position overlap each other when viewed from the first direction.