A shot tube includes an inner bore for delivering molten material into a die-cast mold. The shot tube has an outer peripheral surface with at least one surface for receiving a locking member to lock the shot tube into an aperture in a fixed mold portion and an alignment structure for properly aligning the shot tube in the fixed mold portion. An opening receives molten material into the inner bore. A die-cast machine is also disclosed.

A pressure intensifier device for increasing pressure in a pressurized fluid chamber of a piston/cylinder unit and a casting unit provided therewith for a diecasting machine, and also an associated operating method are provided. The pressure intensifier device has a pressure intensifier cylinder and a pressure intensifier piston, which is guided in an axially movable manner in the cylinder, wherein the pressure intensifier cylinder has an outlet region, an inlet region upstream of the outlet region and a piston guiding chamber, and the pressure intensifier piston has a piston part, which is guided in the piston guiding chamber, and a piston rod, which extends from the piston part to the inlet region, in a maximally retracted release position releases a fluid connection between the inlet region and the outlet region and, in a maximally advanced blocking position, blocks this connection with a free end portion, with which it extends into the outlet region. Over a portion that can be passed through by the free end portion of the piston rod during movement from the release position into the blocking position, the outlet region has a free passage cross section for the free piston rod end portion that is at least equal in size to a rod cross section of the free piston rod end portion. Advantageously, a pressure intensifier inlet valve can be controlled independently of a pressure in the pressurized fluid chamber of the piston/cylinder unit.

Disclosed are embodiments of a vessel configured to contain a secondary magnetic induction field therein for melting materials, and methods of use thereof. The vessel can be used in an injection molding apparatus having an induction coil positioned adjacent to the vessel. The vessel can have a tubular body configured to substantially surround and receive a plunger tip. Longitudinal slots or gaps extend through the thickness of the body to allow and/or direct eddy currents into the vessel during application of an RF induction field from the coil. The body also includes temperature regulating lines configured to flow a liquid within. The temperature regulating lines can be provided to run longitudinally within the wall(s) of the body between its inner bore and outer surface(s). A flange may be provided at one end of the body to secure the body within an injection molding apparatus.

In a die casting apparatus, during feeding of molten metal by an electromagnetic pump, a molten metal level sensor repeatedly detects a during-feeding level of the molten metal stored in a molten metal holding furnace; a control unit corrects a molten metal feeding voltage to a during-feeding voltage based on the repeatedly detected during-feeding level of the molten metal such that an amount of the molten metal fed by the electromagnetic pump coincides with a prescribed amount; the control unit applies the during-feeding voltage to the electromagnetic pump to cause the electromagnetic pump to feed the molten metal from the molten metal holding furnace into a plunger sleeve; and casting is performed through an injecting operation in which the molten metal fed into the plunger sleeve is extruded by a plunger tip to be injected into a cavity.

The present application discloses an injection system for a die casting machine, which includes an accumulator, an injection cylinder, a pressurization cylinder and a valve module connected via an oil pipeline; in a slow injection phase of the injection cylinder, the valve module is adapted for dynamic switching between a phase of an oil pump of the oil pipeline supplying oil alone and a phase of the oil pump and the accumulator jointly supplying oil; in a fast injection phase, a braking phase, a tracking phase and a pressurization injection phase, the oil pump of the oil pipeline and an oil tank form a first A-type half-bridge structure.

A molding machine for molding material is provided. The machine includes a cavity to be filled with molten metal and a conduit system leading to the cavity, thus forming a system of interconnected hollow spaces. At least one pressure member is moveable in at least part of the conduit system. A centrifugal pump in fluid communication with a reservoir of molten metal is provided, the pump providing molten metal to the hollow space receiving the at least one pressure member.

A die-casting machine has a casting mould, a casting chamber, a casting piston, a melt inlet channel, a shut-off valve in the melt inlet channel, a melt outlet channel, and a control unit for controlling the casting piston. For carrying out a respective casting process, the die-casting machine is configured, for a mould-filling phase, to bring the shut-off valve into a closed position, and to control the casting piston to advance from a casting start position to a filling end position, in order to press melt material into the casting mould via the melt outlet channel, and, for a subsequent refilling phase, to bring the shut-off valve into an open position and to control the casting piston to move back to the casting start position, in order to supply the casting chamber with melt material via the melt inlet channel. The machine is configured to keep a closure nozzle in the melt outlet channel closed in the refilling phase and, in the mould-filling phase, with the shut-off valve remaining closed, to firstly move the casting piston back from the casting start position to an additional stroke position and to subsequently advance it from the additional stroke position via the casting start position to the filling end position, and at this time to keep the closure nozzle closed during the return movement of the casting piston to the additional stroke position and to only open it when the casting piston advances again.

A twin injection molding machine includes: a mold clamping device configured to clamp a mold; and first and second injection devices each including: a heating cylinder; a screw disposed in the heating cylinder; and a screw driving device including driving system components and configured to drive the screw. The first and second injection devices are disposed symmetrically with respect to a machine center line of the mold clamping device. The driving system components provided in the screw driving device of the first injection device and the driving system components provided in the screw driving device of the second injection device are each disposed on a side away from the machine center line in the respective screw driving devices.

A squeeze pin circuit is installed to a direction switching valve. The direction switching valve is configured to switch a direction of hydraulic pressure to a core cylinder. The squeeze pin circuit is configured to drive a squeeze pin. The squeeze pin is configured to partially pressurize molten metal filled in a cavity. The squeeze pin circuit includes a squeeze pin cylinder and a flow rate adjusting unit. The squeeze pin cylinder is coupled to the direction switching valve to drive the squeeze pin. The flow rate adjusting unit is installed on a hydraulic pressure path. The hydraulic pressure path couples the direction switching valve to a head side of the squeeze pin cylinder. The flow rate adjusting unit is configured to ensure pressure compensation and temperature compensation.

A method of determining the position of at least one opening (9, 10) in a casting chamber (6) of a die-casting machine (1), wherein a casting plunger (7) is contained in the casting chamber (8), The casting plunger (7) is movable into a position in which communication between the opening (9, 10) and the casting chamber (6) is no longer possible. It is determined, on the basis of the vacuum in the connecting line (14, 15), when the casting plunger (7) has reached the position in which communication, between the opening (9, 10) and the casting chamber (6), is no longer possible. A method of operating a vacuum die-casting machine, wherein a casting curve, for performing a casting cycle, is determined by specified and/or experimentally determined characteristic values of the die-casting machine by a computer program for operating the die-casting machine, and to a corresponding computer program product.