A mold transfer assembly includes a transfer housing providing an interior defined by one or more sidewalls and a top. The transfer housing is sized to receive and encapsulate a mold as the mold is moved between a furnace and a thermal heat sink. An arm is coupled to the transfer housing to move the transfer housing and the mold encapsulated within the transfer housing between the furnace and a thermal heat sink. The transfer housing exhibits one or more thermal properties to control a thermal profile of the mold.

A directional solidification cooling furnace for metal casting part comprises: a cylindrical internal enclosure having a vertical central axis and a mold support arranged in the internal enclosure; the internal enclosure comprising a casting zone and a cooling zone, the casting zone and the cooling zone being superposed one on the other; the casting and cooling zones being thermally insulated from each other when the mold support is arranged in the casting zone by means of a heat shield that is stationary and by means of a second heat shield that is carried by the mold support; the casting zone including at least a first heating device, and the cooling zone including a second heating device.

A method for manufacturing a metal component using lost-wax casting is provided. The component is made of, for example, nickel alloy, with a columnar or monocrystalline structure with at least one cavity of elongate shape. The method includes creating a wax model of the component with a ceramic core corresponding to the cavity, creating a shell mold around the model, placing the mold in a furnace, with the base standing on the sole of the furnace, pouring molten alloy into the shell mold, solidifying the poured metal by gradual cooling from the sole in a direction of propagation.

A casting method and apparatus are provided for casting a near-net shape article, such as for example a gas turbine engine blade or vane having a variable cross-section along its length. A molten metallic melt is provided in a heated mold having an article-shaped mold cavity with a shape corresponding to that of the article to be cast. The melt-containing mold and mold heating furnace are relatively moved to withdraw the melt-containing mold from the furnace through an active cooling zone where cooling gas is directed against the exterior of the mold to actively extract heat. At least one of the mold withdrawal rate, the cooling gas mass flow rate, and mold temperature are adjusted at the active cooling zone as the melt-containing mold is withdrawn through the active cooling zone to produce an equiaxed grain microstructure along at least a part of the length of the article.

An induction furnace assembly comprising a chamber having a mold; a primary inductive coil coupled to the chamber; a layered susceptor comprising at least two layers of magnetic field attenuating material surrounding the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold to nullify the electromagnetic field in the hot zone of the furnace chamber.

The invention relates to the making, on a support plate (34), of an annular space (76) in a ceramic paste covering this plate, in order, by successive deposits and firing of layers of said ceramic paste, to create a base of a ceramic shell (40) for the moulding of parts, the base having said annular space (76). For this purpose, between two deposits of said ceramic paste, and on the plate, said deformable annular element (82) will be deformed in order to break the ceramic layer.

A directional solidification cooling furnace for metal casting part comprises: a cylindrical internal enclosure having a vertical central axis and a mold support arranged in the internal enclosure; the internal enclosure comprising a casting zone and a cooling zone, the casting zone and the cooling zone being superposed one on the other; the casting and cooling zones being thermally insulated from each other when the mold support is arranged in the casting zone by means of a heat shield that is stationary and by means of a second heat shield that is carried by the mold support; the casting zone including at least a first heating device, and the cooling zone including a second heating device.

The invention relates to the foundry field, and in particular to a foundry process comprising the preheating of a mold (1) up to a first temperature, the casting of a metal in the liquid state, at a second temperature above the first temperature, in the mold kept in a main furnace (100) at the first temperature since the preheating, the difference between the first temperature and second temperature being no more than 80 C., the cooling and solidification of the metal in the mold (1) kept in the main furnace (100) at a pressure of less than 0.1 Pa at least since the casting, the removal of the mold (1) from the main furnace (100), and the demolding of the solidified metal.

An apparatus for the simultaneous casting of multiple components using a directional solidification process includes; a pouring cup arranged on a centerline, an array of moulds encircling the pouring cup and centre line, an array of feed channels extending from the pouring cup to a top end of each mould, and a heat deflector. The heat deflector comprises a wall arranged between the array of moulds and the centerline extending along the length of the moulds and in thermal contact with the moulds.

A process for directional solidification of a cast part comprises energizing a primary inductive coil coupled to a chamber having a mold containing a material; generating an electromagnetic field with the primary inductive coil within the chamber, wherein said electromagnetic field is partially attenuated by a susceptor coupled to said chamber between said primary inductive coil and said mold; determining a magnetic flux profile of the electromagnetic field after it passes through the susceptor; sensing a component of the magnetic flux in the interior of the susceptor proximate the mold; positioning a mobile secondary compensation coil within the chamber; generating a control field from a secondary compensation coil, wherein said control field controls said magnetic flux; and casting the material within the mold.