Abstract: Aluminum parts are cast in a plurality of permanent-type or semi-permanent-type molds, the molds being preheated to a predetermined temperature before starting the casting operation, and being provided with temperature sensors and a logic device which produces a blocking signal for the casting system when the temperature of the mold is below a predetermined casting temperature in order to minimize the number of scrap castings due to uneven or low mold temperature. Hot gases are created and flowed through the interior of the mold, by a burner and hood shaped to fit over at least some mold openings.

Abstract: Method and simplified apparatus for manufacturing aluminum alloys castings, for example those cast aluminum parts utilized in the manufacture of automobile engines: cylinder heads, engine blocks and the like; whereby the castings are cast in a plurality of semi-permanent-type molds, said molds each being movable to a plurality of processing positions along one of a plurality of straight line paths (five in the preferred embodiment), wherein the operations of cleaning, core setting, casting, and casting extraction are performed on each mold at predetermined positions along its respective path and alternating said operations among the molds in order to permit minimization of the number of robot equipment and to increase the aggregate productivity of said molds, since any one processing operation is handled by only one robot arm moving between the plurality of lines seriatim, so that a given process step is performed at any one time only at one of the plurality of lines.