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.

A method for casting longitudinal cast products including casting longitudinal cast products in a semi-continuous manner using a DC casting apparatus having a mold, wherein the mold has top and bottom openings and partially solidifies molten metal that enters into the mold via the top opening and outputs the cast product via the bottom opening, recording a thermal image of the cast product output via the bottom opening, determining at least three non-overlapping temperature ranges comprising a first, second and third, determining a peak temperature in the thermal image; comparing the peak temperature with the at least three temperature ranges; and performing operations depending on where the peak temperature falls within the at least three temperature ranges.

A method for casting longitudinal cast products including casting longitudinal cast products in a semi-continuous manner using a DC casting apparatus having a mold, wherein the mold has top and bottom openings and partially solidifies molten metal that enters into the mold via the top opening and outputs the cast product via the bottom opening, recording a thermal image of the cast product output via the bottom opening, determining at least three non-overlapping temperature ranges comprising a first, second and third, determining a peak temperature in the thermal image; comparing the peak temperature with the at least three temperature ranges; and performing operations depending on where the peak temperature falls within the at least three temperature ranges.

A control device for continuous casting continuously producing a slab by injecting a molten metal from a nozzle to a mold and extracting the molten metal while solidifying the molten metal, includes a molten metal level meter measuring a molten metal level in the mold, a main control unit obtaining an operation amount of a flow rate adjusting mechanism that adjusts a flow rate of a molten metal injected to the mold from the nozzle such that a molten metal level measured by the molten metal level meter follows a molten metal level target value, a flowmeter measuring the flow rate of the molten metal injected to the mold from the nozzle, an input disturbance correction unit obtaining a first correction amount for the operation amount of the flow rate adjusting mechanism obtained by the main control unit.

Large steel ingot casting is accomplished with a top suspended induction heating device supplied with variable power and variable frequency from a power source. By the induction heating and stirring provided by the top suspended induction heating device, metal solidification advances progressively upwards from bottom to top, and the upper molten metal in a riser part compensates for shrinkage of the lower solidified metal in the main part. Inclusions are selectively moved out of the molten metal by a variable electromagnetic stirring force and the formation of casting defects is suppressed.

Large steel ingot casting is accomplished with a top suspended induction heating device supplied with variable power and variable frequency from a power source. By the induction heating and stirring provided by the top suspended induction heating device, metal solidification advances progressively upwards from bottom to top, and the upper molten metal in a riser part compensates for shrinkage of the lower solidified metal in the main part. Inclusions are selectively moved out of the molten metal by a variable electromagnetic stirring force and the formation of casting defects is suppressed.

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus has a thermally insulative layer between a platform on which an ejection head ejects drops of melted metal and a X-Y translation mechanism on which the platform is moved within an X-Y plane opposite the ejection head. The apparatus also includes a housing having an internal volume in which the platform and X-Y translation mechanism are located. In one embodiment, the thermally insulative layer is a plurality of spheres made of a thermally insulative material such as a ceramic made of zirconium dioxide or zirconium oxide. The thermally insulative layer protects the X-Y mechanism while the housing helps keep the surface temperature of the object being formed on the platform in an optimal range for bonding of the ejected melted metal drops to the object's surface.

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus has a thermally insulative layer between a platform on which an ejection head ejects drops of melted metal and a X-Y translation mechanism on which the platform is moved within an X-Y plane opposite the ejection head. The apparatus also includes a housing having an internal volume in which the platform and X-Y translation mechanism are located. In one embodiment, the thermally insulative layer is a plurality of spheres made of a thermally insulative material such as a ceramic made of zirconium dioxide or zirconium oxide. The thermally insulative layer protects the X-Y mechanism while the housing helps keep the surface temperature of the object being formed on the platform in an optimal range for bonding of the ejected melted metal drops to the object's surface.

Casting facility includes a pouring machine for pouring molten metal in a ladle into a mold molded by a molding machine and conveyed to a pouring site, and the pouring machine includes a plan acquisition unit configured to acquire a planned temperature range of the molten metal for the mold, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a pouring flow during pouring of the molten metal into the mold, and a temperature determination unit configured to determine whether or not the temperature of the pouring flow is within the planned temperature range, and the pouring machine stops the pouring of the molten metal into the mold when it is determined that the temperature of the pouring flow is not within the planned temperature range.

Casting facility includes a pouring machine for pouring molten metal in a ladle into a mold molded by a molding machine and conveyed to a pouring site, and the pouring machine includes a plan acquisition unit configured to acquire a planned temperature range of the molten metal for the mold, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a pouring flow during pouring of the molten metal into the mold, and a temperature determination unit configured to determine whether or not the temperature of the pouring flow is within the planned temperature range, and the pouring machine stops the pouring of the molten metal into the mold when it is determined that the temperature of the pouring flow is not within the planned temperature range.