A casting apparatus of a casting equipment includes an upper frame to which an upper mold is attached, a lower frame to which a lower mold is attached, a mold closing mechanism, a pair of main link members each of which has a central portion provided with a rotating shaft, a pair of auxiliary link members each of which has a central portion provided with a rotating shaft, and a drive means. The upper frame, the lower frame, the main link member, and the auxiliary link member constitute a parallel link mechanism.

A system for setting a specific value of a variable operating parameter of a machine usable with a plurality of different tools each requiring a different specific value of the operating parameter. The system may include a tag associated with a specific tool and containing stored data of a predetermined desired value of an operating parameter of the machine for the specific tool, a reader of the tool stored data of the desired value and a controller of the machine which uses at least some of the stored data to set the predetermined desired value of the variable operating parameter of the machine for its use of the specific tool or of a variable operating parameter of another machine which is dependent on the specific value of at least some of the stored data of the tag of the specific tool used in the machine. The machine may be one of a battery grid casting machine, a battery grid pasting machine, a battery paste making machine, a battery paste drying oven, a battery grid or plate cutting or trimming machine, a battery plate stacking machine, a robotic palletizing machine, or the like.

In accordance with one aspect of the present embodiment, disclosed is a system and method of processing sand mold castings including the steps of placing a mold on a translation surface of a first conveyor at a first position, the mold including a sand housing having compacted sand that encapsulates a casting. The mold is translated along the translation surface of the first conveyor from the first position towards a second position. Air is directed against the casting and temperature of the air and or casting is measured after the casting is being removed from the sand mold.

In accordance with one aspect of the present embodiment, disclosed is a system and method of processing sand mold castings including the steps of placing a mold on a translation surface of a first conveyor at a first position, the mold including a sand housing having compacted sand that encapsulates a casting. The mold is translated along the translation surface of the first conveyor from the first position towards a second position. Air is directed against the casting and temperature of the air and or casting is measured after the casting is being removed from the sand mold.

The checking methods includes the steps of feeding molten metal into the mold (3), extracting from the mold after a predetermined cooling time the mechanical piece (2) formed by the solidified molten metal; and acquiring at least one real thermographic image (A, X) of an internal surface (7) of the mold (3). To check the quality of the manufactured mechanical piece, at least part of the real thermographic image and/or related parameters is/are compared with images and/or related parameters belonging to a predetermined acceptability range. A possible anomaly in the mechanical piece is detected if the real thermographic image and/or related parameters do not correspond to said images and/or related parameters belonging to the predetermined acceptability range. A differential thermographic image (C, Z) whose points have values equal to the differences between the values of the points of the real thermographic image and the values of the corresponding points of a reference thermographic image (A, X, B, Y) is determined and used to check at least one part of the manufacturing process.

An aspect of the present invention provides a mold information management device, a casting system, and a mold information management method each of which makes it possible to reduce a rate of occurrence of defective casting products due to unreadable identification marks, as compared to a conventional rate of the occurrence. A mold information management device includes at least one processor, the processor carrying out: a determination process for determining whether an identification mark is good or not, on the basis of image data or profile data obtained by capturing an image of or scanning a surface of a mold on which the identification mark is engraved; and an associating process for associating the identification mark with information on at least one of history and properties of the mold, in a case where the identification mark has been determined to be good in the determination process.

An aspect of the present invention provides a mold information management device, a casting system, and a mold information management method each of which makes it possible to reduce a rate of occurrence of defective casting products due to unreadable identification marks, as compared to a conventional rate of the occurrence. A mold information management device includes at least one processor, the processor carrying out: a determination process for determining whether an identification mark is good or not, on the basis of image data or profile data obtained by capturing an image of or scanning a surface of a mold on which the identification mark is engraved; and an associating process for associating the identification mark with information on at least one of history and properties of the mold, in a case where the identification mark has been determined to be good in the determination process.

Provided is a supergravity directional solidification melting furnace equipment, including a supergravity test chamber and, mounted in the supergravity test chamber, a high-temperature heating subsystem, a crucible, and an air-cooling system. The supergravity test chamber is mounted with a wiring electrode and a cooling air valve device. The high-temperature heating subsystem is fixed in the supergravity test chamber. The crucible and the air cooling system are provided in the high-temperature heating subsystem. The high-temperature heating subsystem includes upper, middle, and lower furnaces, a mullite insulating layer, upper and lower heating cavity outer bodies, upper and lower heating furnace pipes, and a crucible support base. A high-temperature heating cavity is divided into upper and lower parts, is provided therein with a spiral groove, and is fitted with a heating element. The crucible support base is provided therein with a vent pipe channel into which a cooling air is introduced. The crucible and the air cooling system include air inlet and exhaust pipes, a cooling base, a cooling rate adjustment ring, the crucible, and an exhaust cover.

Provided is a supergravity directional solidification melting furnace equipment, including a supergravity test chamber and, mounted in the supergravity test chamber, a high-temperature heating subsystem, a crucible, and an air-cooling system. The supergravity test chamber is mounted with a wiring electrode and a cooling air valve device. The high-temperature heating subsystem is fixed in the supergravity test chamber. The crucible and the air cooling system are provided in the high-temperature heating subsystem. The high-temperature heating subsystem includes upper, middle, and lower furnaces, a mullite insulating layer, upper and lower heating cavity outer bodies, upper and lower heating furnace pipes, and a crucible support base. A high-temperature heating cavity is divided into upper and lower parts, is provided therein with a spiral groove, and is fitted with a heating element. The crucible support base is provided therein with a vent pipe channel into which a cooling air is introduced. The crucible and the air cooling system include air inlet and exhaust pipes, a cooling base, a cooling rate adjustment ring, the crucible, and an exhaust cover.

A product comprising recycled metal fragments and an alloying supplement, and methods and system for producing same. In some examples, the product comprises a container, shot blasted pieces of aluminum alloy wheels and an alloying supplement. In some examples, the product also comprises an indication on the container of a composition estimate of the combined shot blasted pieces and alloying supplement. In other examples, the indication and/or the alloying supplement may be provided by a company in the business of providing alloying supplements.