A method and apparatus for manufacturing an equiaxed crystal aluminum alloy cast ingot by using additive manufacturing and rapid solidification techniques are provided. The apparatus comprises: a metal heating mechanism and a negative pressure cooling mechanism. The metal heating mechanism is located above the negative pressure cooling mechanism and is connected thereto by a nozzle. The negative pressure cooling mechanism comprises a vacuum chamber having an air inlet hole and an air outlet hole, and a three-dimensional moving ingot mechanism disposed inside the vacuum chamber. The three-dimensional moving ingot mechanism comprises a moving ingot and a two-dimensional moving platform vertically connected to the moving ingot. A water cooling mechanism is disposed outside the moving ingot, and the moving ingot is driven by a precision motor to precisely move up and down.

The objective of the present invention is to improve non-defective product yield by reducing shrinkage cavities inside small-diameter ingots, in a method for casting active metals. In this Ti—Al based alloy casting method for casting an ingot of Ti—Al based alloy by tapping molten metal from a tapping hole (5) provided in a bottom portion of a water-cooled copper crucible (2), in an induction melting furnace (3) employing said crucible (2), into a casting mold (4), the degree of vacuum inside the induction melting furnace (3) when the Ti—Al based alloy is being melted or cast is in a range of 80 to 700 Torr, and the Al concentration in the cast ingot is within ±1.0 mass % of a target value.

A highly-productive method for manufacturing a metal foam, capable of easily manufacturing a molded article having a desired shape is provided. A method for manufacturing a metal foam includes dissolving hydrogen in a mixture containing a molten metal and a thickener, and thereby manufacturing a precursor in which an amount of solid-soluted hydrogen in the metal is saturated, charging the precursor into a mold, and solidifying the precursor charged into the mold under a reduced-pressure atmosphere, or solidifying the precursor charged into the mold and then heating the solidified precursor under a reduced-pressure atmosphere.

The present invention provides an artifactless superelastic alloy including a Au—Cu—Al alloy, the superelastic alloy containing Cu in an amount of 20 atom % or more and 40 atom % or less, Al in an amount of 15 atom % or more and 25 atom % or less, and Au as a balance, the superelastic alloy having a bulk magnetic susceptibility of −24 ppm or more and 6 ppm or less. The Ni-free superelastic alloy of the present invention is capable of exhibiting superelasticity in a normal temperature range, and hardly generated artifacts in a magnetic field environment. The alloy can be produced by setting a casting time in a melting and casting step to a fixed time, and hot-pressing an alloy after casting to make material structures homogeneous.

A device and method for producing metal slugs, in which: a movable support has a plurality of cavities separated by partition walls, such that the cavities travel over a path, a feeding means is positioned above a location on said path and is capable of forming a stream of molten metal, flowing under the effect of gravity, such that, during the continuous movement of the movable support, the continuous stream of molten metal from the feeding means is divided or fragmented into slugs formed successively in said cavities, under the effect of said partition walls.

A device and method for producing metal slugs, in which: a movable support has a plurality of cavities separated by partition walls, such that the cavities travel over a path, a feeding means is positioned above a location on said path and is capable of forming a stream of molten metal, flowing under the effect of gravity, such that, during the continuous movement of the movable support, the continuous stream of molten metal from the feeding means is divided or fragmented into slugs formed successively in said cavities, under the effect of said partition walls.

An apparatus for casting a part that includes a first housing, a second housing, a handling system and a cooling apparatus. The first housing defines a first chamber. The first chamber is configured to receive a melt heater and a mold heater. The second housing is configured to move between a first position and a second position such that when the second housing is in the first position, the first housing is open such that a mold can be inserted therein and when the second housing is in the second position, the second housing and the first housing define a second chamber. The cooling apparatus is configured to be positioned within the second chamber.

An apparatus for casting a part that includes a first housing, a second housing, a handling system and a cooling apparatus. The first housing defines a first chamber. The first chamber is configured to receive a melt heater and a mold heater. The second housing is configured to move between a first position and a second position such that when the second housing is in the first position, the first housing is open such that a mold can be inserted therein and when the second housing is in the second position, the second housing and the first housing define a second chamber. The cooling apparatus is configured to be positioned within the second chamber.

A method for casting a part, that includes the steps of: introducing a mold into a first housing; engaging the first housing with a second housing to define a second chamber; melting an ingot within the furnace; reducing pressure within the second chamber to a first predetermined pressure; pouring at least a portion of the melted ingot into the mold; adding an gas to the second chamber to raise the pressure to a second predetermined pressure; moving the mold such that it is engaged with the means for cooling; and solidifying the liquid metal within the mold.

A method for casting a part, that includes the steps of: introducing a mold into a first housing; engaging the first housing with a second housing to define a second chamber; melting an ingot within the furnace; reducing pressure within the second chamber to a first predetermined pressure; pouring at least a portion of the melted ingot into the mold; adding an gas to the second chamber to raise the pressure to a second predetermined pressure; moving the mold such that it is engaged with the means for cooling; and solidifying the liquid metal within the mold.