Apparatus for creating at least one metal component and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12042852-B2
Application number	US-202118022641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

Method and apparatus for creating at least one metal component by injecting flowable metal casting material into at least one cavity of a multi-part casting mold. Arranged successively downstream, apparatus includes a conveyor device for the flowable metal material, a distributor unit and the mold. The distributor unit includes an inlet channel connected to the conveyor device, and multiple outlet channels each having an outlet nozzle, such that casting material fed under pressure via the distributor inlet channel is injectable via the outlet nozzles into the at least one cavity of the mold to simultaneously fill the at least one cavity with casting material via the outlet nozzles. To produce the component with high process reliability in high quality, at least one of the outlet channels is connected to the mold in a sliding manner to enable relative movement between the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and the mold.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for creating at least one metal component by injecting flowable metal casting material into at least one cavity of a multi-part casting mold, comprising, arranged successively downstream, a conveyor device for the flowable metal material, a distributor unit and the multi-part casting mold, wherein the distributor unit comprises an inlet channel, which is connected to the conveyor device, and multiple outlet channels each having an outlet nozzle, such that casting material fed under pressure via the distributor inlet channel can be injected via the outlet nozzles into the at least one cavity of the casting mold in order to simultaneously fill the at least one cavity with casting material via the outlet nozzles, wherein at least one of the outlet channels is connected to the casting mold in a sliding manner in order to enable a relative movement between the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and the casting mold, and wherein the outlet channel is connected to the casting mold in a sliding manner so that the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel can be displaced transversely to an injection direction of the outlet nozzle relative to the casting mold.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the outlet channel is at casting temperature, an outlet opening of the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and an injection opening of the casting mold are aligned to be essentially flush with one another by a sliding movement of the outlet nozzle relative to the casting mold in order to inject casting material into the cavity through the outlet opening via the injection opening.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet channel and the casting mold are connected to one another in a sliding manner in a form fit, wherein a relative movement between the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and the casting mold is enabled to a limited extent in a direction transverse to the injection direction of the outlet nozzle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the outlet channel has an outer diameter that varies along its longitudinal axis in order to create the form fit between the outlet channel and the casting mold.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the outlet channel comprises a form in a ring shape, in order to create the form fit between the outlet channel and the casting mold.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the form of the outlet channel runs along a circumference of the outlet channel.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the end piece of the outlet channel is inserted into an end bushing, wherein the end bushing constitutes an enlargement of an outer diameter of the outlet channel ( 8 ) in order to connect the outlet channel to the casting mold in a sliding manner.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the end bushing is a detachable end bushing.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a contact surface is arranged on an end piece of the outlet channel that comprises the outlet nozzle, which contact surface rests in a sliding manner on a resting surface of the casting mold that corresponds to the contact surface in order to connect the outlet channel to the casting mold in a sliding manner.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the contact surface is flat.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the casting mold comprises a receptacle embodied as a recess in the casting mold, into which receptacle the end piece is inserted for the sliding connection of the outlet channel to the casting mold.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a locking apparatus is present which prevents a release of the sliding connection between the outlet channel and the casting mold.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the presence of the locking apparatus prevents, reversibly, a release of the sliding connection between the outlet channel and casting mold.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one temperature-control apparatus is present with which the outlet channels can be temperature controlled.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the presence of the at least one temperature-control apparatus temperature controls the nozzles of the outlet channels.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outlet channels is formed with multiple longitudinal segments adjoining one another, the longitudinal axes of which are at an angle to one another.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flowable metal material is a thixotropic metal material.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distributor unit is embodied as a hot runner system.

19. A method for creating at least one metal component using an apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein flowable metal casting material is guided, under pressure, from a conveyor device to a multi-part casting mold via a distributor unit to create the metal component, wherein the casting material is guided to multiple outlet channels of the distributor unit via at least one inlet channel of the distributor unit and is injected into at least one cavity of the casting mold via outlet nozzles of the outlet channels in order to simultaneously fill the at least one cavity with casting material via the outlet nozzles, wherein at least one of the outlet channels is connected to the casting mold in a sliding manner in order to enable a relative movement between the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and the casting mold.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the outlet channels are heated following injection of the casting material in order to prevent a total solidification of casting material located in the outlet channels.

21. The method according to claim 19 , wherein a sliding movement of the outlet nozzle relative to the casting mold is carried out, so that an outlet opening of the outlet nozzle of the outlet channel and an injection opening of the casting mold are aligned to be essentially flush with one another when the outlet channel is at casting temperature, in order to inject casting material into the cavity through the outlet opening via the injection opening.

Assignees

• Dynamic Metal Systems R & D Gmbh
• Japan Steel Works Ltd

Inventors

• Platzer Christian
• Simonitsch Lukas
• Platzer Alexander

Classifications

• B22D17/2272

  Sprue channels · CPC title

• B22D17/2038

  Heating, cooling or lubricating the injection unit (for plastics B29C45/74, B29C45/83) · CPC title

• B22D17/2023 Primary

  Nozzles or shot sleeves · CPC title

• B22D17/2015

  Means for forcing the molten metal into the die (for plastics B29C45/46) · CPC title

• B29C45/22

  Multiple nozzle systems · CPC title