A molten metal pump comprised of a base defining a pumping chamber, an impeller disposed within said pumping chamber, an outlet passage extending from said pumping chamber, said outlet passage being defined by opposed top and bottom walls and opposed side walls, wherein said top and side walls terminate at an intersection with a boundary of the base and said bottom wall terminates inward from said boundary.

A transfer pump has a pump base with a pump chamber and an output port in the top surface of the pump base. A riser tube extends from the outlet and terminates at a launder having a first end juxtaposed the riser tube, an open top, and a bottom having a launder opening. This structure enables the movement of molten metal out of a vessel with relatively little turbulence.

A device includes a molten metal pump and a metal-transfer conduit. A clamp may be used to attach the metal-transfer conduit to the pump. The pump has a pump base including an indentation configured to receive the metal-transfer conduit and align the pump outlet with the transfer inlet. The pump outlet may be formed in the indentation and preferably near the center of the indentation in order to better align with the transfer inlet. As the pump operates it moves molten metal through a pump outlet that is in communication with a transfer inlet in the metal-transfer conduit. The molten metal enters the transfer inlet, moves upwards in a passage in the metal-transfer conduit, and out of a transfer outlet.

A molten metal pump assembly and method to fill a mold with molten metal, such as aluminum. The assembly includes a support frame for suspending the molten metal pump above a furnace. The support frame includes a mechanism for lifting and lowering the molten metal pump into engagement and disengagement with the mold.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a rotor for a molten metal pump and a molten metal pump including the rotor. The rotor has a main body and a top comprised of a material that is at least twice as hard as the main body. The top, among other things, may form a first portion of each rotor blade wherein the first portion directs molten metal into a pump chamber or other structure in which the rotor is mounted.

A vertical member, which is preferably a support post used in a molten metal pump, includes a ceramic tube and tensioning structures to add a compressive load to the tube along its longitudinal axis. This makes the tube less prone to breakage. A device, such as a pump, used in a molten metal bath includes one or more of such vertical members.

Molten metal transfer pump, in which a shaft (4) with the impeller (5) mounted on the shaft (4) is installed on the upper bearing (2) and the lower journal plain bearing (3). The lower journal plain bearing (3) has rotor (15) and stator (16) parts. The rotor part (15) is made in the form of two split bushings (17) mounted on the shaft (4), and the stator part (16) is made in the form of two split bushings (18) fixed in the cage (19) in axial alignment with the shaft (4). Bushings (17) (18) are fixed correspondingly with flat rings (24) (33) and composed of cylinder segments (20), (28) equidistantly placed in a circumferential direction, located correspondingly in the cylindrical groove (21) on the shaft and cylindrical groove (29) of the cage (19) and fixed with cone hold-down rings (22), (30) radially, and with spring rings (23), (31) axially.

A molten metal pump assembly and method to fill a mold with molten metal, such as aluminum. The assembly includes a support frame for suspending the molten metal pump above a furnace. The support frame includes a mechanism for lifting and lowering the molten metal pump into engagement and disengagement with the mold.

A device includes a molten metal pump and a metal-transfer conduit. A clamp may be used to attach the metal-transfer conduit to the pump. The pump has a pump base including an indentation configured to receive the metal-transfer conduit and align the pump outlet with the transfer inlet. The pump outlet may be formed in the indentation and preferably near the center of the indentation in order to better align with the transfer inlet. As the pump operates it moves molten metal through a pump outlet that is in communication with a transfer inlet in the metal-transfer conduit. The molten metal enters the transfer inlet, moves upwards in a passage in the metal-transfer conduit, and out of a transfer outlet.

The present invention is directed to a molten metal pump comprising an elongated pumping chamber tube with a base end and an open top end. A shaft extends into the tube and rotates an impeller therein, the impeller rotates proximate the base end. The tube has a diameter at least 1.1 times the diameter of the impeller. The pumping chamber tube preferably has a length at least three times the height of the impeller. The base end includes an inlet and the top end includes a tangential outlet. Rotation of the impeller draws molten metal into the pumping chamber and creates a rotating equilibrium vortex that rises up the walls of the pumping chamber. The rotating vortex adjacent the top end exists the device via the tangential outlet.