A gate valve system includes a base plate and a gate valve plate, a casting plant includes the gate valve system, and a casting process manufactures workpieces, particularly from metal materials. The base plate has an opening and the gate valve plate has a first opening and at least a second opening. The separating gate valve system is set up so that the separating gate valve system can be brought into casting, pressing, and closure positions. In the casting position, the first opening is arranged to align with the opening of the base plate, at least to the greatest possible extent; in the pressing position, the second opening is arranged to align with the opening of the base plate, at least to the greatest possible extent; and in the closure position, the gate valve plate closes off the opening of the base plate.

Provided is a method for producing an arm-like structure in which the arm-like structure is produced by: forming an arm precursor member having an external shape of the arm-like structure by, in a state in which a die is closed with a metal pipe member being disposed in a cavity thereof, pressurizing the pipe member with liquid supplied to an inside thereof to cause an external surface of the thus expanded pipe member to be pressed against an inner surface of the cavity; and forming a flange portion to be attached to a driven body by machining at least an end of the formed arm precursor member.

Provided is a method for producing an arm-like structure in which the arm-like structure is produced by: forming an arm precursor member having an external shape of the arm-like structure by, in a state in which a die is closed with a metal pipe member being disposed in a cavity thereof, pressurizing the pipe member with liquid supplied to an inside thereof to cause an external surface of the thus expanded pipe member to be pressed against an inner surface of the cavity; and forming a flange portion to be attached to a driven body by machining at least an end of the formed arm precursor member.

A casting apparatus for producing castings using molds each having a sprue, comprising a mold-conveying means for conveying molds each containing a melt poured through the sprue; nozzles each having a gas-introducing opening attachable to and detachable from the sprue; nozzle-attaching/detaching means each moving each nozzle to attach and detach the gas-introducing opening to and from the sprue; moving means for moving the nozzle-attaching/detaching means, such that the nozzle-attaching/detaching means moves following a mold conveyed by the mold-conveying means, while keeping the connection of the gas-introducing opening to the sprue by the nozzle-attaching/detaching means; and a gas supply means connected to each nozzle for supplying a gas to the gas-introducing opening.

A method for joining an aluminum material includes, in the following order, arranging a first wrought aluminum alloy material along a first jig in an internal space defined between the first jig and a second jig that is arranged to face the first jig and has a pouring port, pouring molten aluminum toward the first wrought aluminum alloy material through the pouring port under pressure to cause the molten aluminum to collide with a surface of the first wrought aluminum alloy material, thereby digging down the first wrought aluminum alloy material at a collision position between the molten aluminum and the first wrought aluminum alloy material, and flowing the molten aluminum together with a fraction of the first wrought aluminum alloy material removed by digging within the internal space along a surface of the first wrought aluminum alloy material around the collision position.

A method for joining an aluminum material includes, in the following order, arranging a first wrought aluminum alloy material along a first jig in an internal space defined between the first jig and a second jig that is arranged to face the first jig and has a pouring port, pouring molten aluminum toward the first wrought aluminum alloy material through the pouring port under pressure to cause the molten aluminum to collide with a surface of the first wrought aluminum alloy material, thereby digging down the first wrought aluminum alloy material at a collision position between the molten aluminum and the first wrought aluminum alloy material, and flowing the molten aluminum together with a fraction of the first wrought aluminum alloy material removed by digging within the internal space along a surface of the first wrought aluminum alloy material around the collision position.

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 portion 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.

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 to manufacture reticulated metal foam via a dual investment solid mold, includes pre-investment of a precursor with a diluted pre-investment ceramic plaster then investing the encapsulated precursor with a ceramic plaster.

A method to manufacture reticulated metal foam via a dual investment solid mold, includes pre-investment of a precursor with a diluted pre-investment ceramic plaster then investing the encapsulated precursor with a ceramic plaster.