Patents Examined by J. Reed Batten, Jr.
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Patent number: 6202734Abstract: The apparatus comprises a device for supplying molten metal, a device for heating molten metal such that it remains fluid while within the apparatus, a device for applying a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the device for supplying molten metal, a device for transmitting electric current directly through molten metal to exert a force in a first direction on molten metal, where the device for transmitting can reverse the direction of the current to a second direction, opposite of the first direction, to form a droplet of molten metal, and a receiver for the droplet where the accumulation of a multitude of droplets upon the receiver results in the formation of the desired metal part. The mixing chamber can include a rotary electrode arrangement which mixes the molten metal by movement.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1998Date of Patent: March 20, 2001Assignee: Sandia CorporationInventors: Philip A. Sackinger, Marcelino Essien, Henry C. Peebles, Eric M. Schlienger
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Patent number: 6192971Abstract: A sealing device for a casting table of a machine for the continuous vertical casting along a vertical extraction axis (X—X) of cast iron pipes (T) includes a die block (5) aligned with the vertical extraction axis and a device (3) for the supply of liquid iron. Two sealing gaskets (12A, 12B) are located between the outlet from the device supplying liquid iron and the entry to the die block. The sealing device has members (6, 15, 21) for tightening the die block against the outlet of the supply device, parallel to the vertical extraction axis, in order to tighten the sealing gaskets.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1998Date of Patent: February 27, 2001Assignee: Pont-A-MoussonInventors: Denis Girardin, Fabien Arnould, Yvan Morcel
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Patent number: 6192973Abstract: The cast steel strip must be supported, particularly after the casting device, to reduce stresses and mechanical deformations. A flexible support element, in particular, a chain with rolls, whose length can be changed by suitable adjustment devices, is arranged for the purpose of support after the casting device.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 1999Date of Patent: February 27, 2001Assignee: Mannesmann AGInventors: Klaus Schwerdtfeger, Karl-Heinz Spitzer, Ulrich Urlau, Dietmar Franke, Bernfried Stache, Joachim Kroos, Heino Buddenberg
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Patent number: 6189599Abstract: A method and machine for forming an open riser in a mold includes a resiliently compressible plug received into the upper end of a riser sleeve, which projects above the riser sleeve and cope sand level so as to be advanced into the riser sleeve during squeezing of the mold sand. The plug is fixed to the upper squeeze plate to be withdrawn from the riser sleeve as the squeeze plates are separated, creating an open riser.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 1999Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Inventor: Paul E. Hanna
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Patent number: 6186217Abstract: A plurality of individual thin wall, arcuate (e.g. airfoil shaped) core elements are formed in respective master dies to have integral interlocking locating features, the individual core elements are prefired in respective ceramic setter supports to have integral locating features, the prefired core elements are assembled together using the locator features of adjacent core elements, and the assembled core elements are adhered together using ceramic adhesive introduced at internal joints defined between mating interlocked locating features. The multi-wall ceramic core assembly so produced comprises the plurality of spaced apart thin wall, arcuate core elements and joined together by at the internal joints defined between the adhered interlocked locating features.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 1998Date of Patent: February 13, 2001Assignee: Howmet Research CorporationInventors: William E. Sikkenga, Charles F. Caccavale
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Patent number: 6176295Abstract: The plate mold has water-cooled narrow side walls that can be clamped between broad side walls. The broad side walls have at least three adjacent and mutually independent cooling segments. The cooling segments are divided symmetrically relative to the central axis of the mold and have, in the region of the mold mouth, separate connections for the independent supply of a liquid coolant. The apparatus includes temperature sensors, an oscillation device, an actuator for adjusting the space between the narrow and broad side walls and a control device connected to the temperature sensors to control the oscillation device and the actuator.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 1998Date of Patent: January 23, 2001Assignee: Mannesmann AktiengesellschaftInventor: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg
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Patent number: 6176297Abstract: An adjustment device for adjusting the position of at least one strand supporting element (5) relative to a supporting stand (9, 10) carrying at least one further strand supporting element (6), of a strand guide in a continuous casting plant comprises at least one hydraulic adjustment cylinder (12) contacting a strand supporting element (5) directly or indirectly on the one side and the supporting stand (9, 10) carrying a further strand supporting element (6) on the other side, the movement of the strand supporting element (5) being detectable via a position sensor (17) and controllable by means of an automatic controller (26). In order to safely attain the high precision in positioning the strand supporting elements (5, 6) sought for a strand guide at yet a minimum expenditure and a minimum susceptibility to failure, at least one directional control valve (21A, 21B) capable of being switched via a three-level controller (26) is provided for actuating the hydraulic adjustment cylinder (12) FIG. 2.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 1998Date of Patent: January 23, 2001Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbHInventors: Karl Mörwald, Helmut Fitzel, Kurt Engel, Horst F{umlaut over (u)}rhofer, Rudolf Scheidl, Reinhard Brandstetter
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Patent number: 6176296Abstract: The apparatus includes a molding flask having at least one bar and a squeeze board having a pressing member. The pressing member has at least one vent hole, and defines at least one groove that divides the pressing member into at least two parts. Each groove is positioned and shaped such that it corresponds to the position and shape of one bar. The apparatus also includes an actuator-connecting member to which each part of the pressing member is attached, and an actuator that vertically moves each part of the pressing member.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 1999Date of Patent: January 23, 2001Assignee: Sintokogio, Ltd.Inventor: Hirofumi Asai
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Patent number: 6173757Abstract: A molding material is forced by a shooting device (3) into an openable tool (4) and solidified therein to a component of a mold (2)—a core or shell. The mold component (2) is removed when the tool (4) is open, and subsequently handled in any desired sequence, transported, and, if need be completed to a core assembly (1). The tools (4) are measured in a noncontacting manner in the region of the shooting device (3) and/or manipulators (5) and/or processing stations (6) and/or storage areas (7) and/or conveying paths (8), that the measured data are supplied to a computer (9), if need be, processed therein, and compared with stored desired values, and that the tools (4) are identified as defective, when a predeterminable or definable deviation from the desired values is detected.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 1998Date of Patent: January 16, 2001Assignee: Adolf Hottinger KGInventor: Walter L. Pöhlandt
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Patent number: 6173756Abstract: A broad side element for slab mold and including a cast plate having opposite inner and outer surfaces and a plurality of grooves provided on the inner surface for forming cooling channels and having each an undercut, and a plurality of inserts receivable in the undercuts of respective cooling channel-forming grooves for formlockingly covering the respective grooves, with the broad side element having upper and lower regions, and with at least the upper region having a middle portion and two side portions located on opposite sides of the middle portion.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 1999Date of Patent: January 16, 2001Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag AGInventor: Gereon Fehlemann
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Patent number: 6170558Abstract: The apparatus comprises at least one flowing furnace with which at least one handling unit cooperates, the handling unit being selectively connectable to a respective die. The at least one handling unit is associated with a guide for horizontal translatory motion between a casting position, which lies above the at least one furnace, and a discharge position. The at least one furnace can move vertically in order to couple and uncouple with respect to the corresponding die connected to the at least one handling unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1998Date of Patent: January 9, 2001Assignee: IMR S.p.A.Inventor: Fabio Giolo
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Patent number: 6158497Abstract: The method comprises the production of a first positive model of an item to be cast. The positive model is produced with a flange extending in an imaginary separation line of the item. The flange extends both inwardly in the item within an outer periphery of the item and outwardly outside the outer periphery of the item. The flange establishes an artificial increase of the thickness of the item. Through different intermediate steps at least a first mould part and a second mould part of a mould are produced. The first and the second mould part of the mould initially have a separation zone forming a contact surface between the first and the second mould part. The mould parts are treated in the separation zone so that the negative moulds of an upper and a lower surface of the part of the flange extending outside the item will subsequently form a contact surface of the first and the second mould part.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1998Date of Patent: December 12, 2000Assignee: Formkon ApSInventors: J.o slashed.rn Anker Lange, Ejvind Viggo Kristensen
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Patent number: 6158495Abstract: In the venting valve device for die-casting, the evacuation valve which is intended to be closed comprises an evacuation piston and is actuatable by a pneumatic control piston which is in the form of a double-acting differential piston, whereby one of its pressure surfaces is supplied with compressed air by a high response valve in order to open while its other pressure surface is supplied with compressed air by a second control valve in order to close. The high response valve is provided with a vent in order to reduce the pressure maintaining the control piston in the open position within a very short time and thus to ensure a very short closing time of the evacuation piston. While being simple in construction, such a venting valve allows a very short closing time and is therefore particularly suitable also for high-speed die-casting.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 1998Date of Patent: December 12, 2000Assignee: V.D.S. Vacuum Diecasting Service S.A.Inventor: Rene Bigger
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Patent number: 6155332Abstract: In a process for continuously casting a metal strand by casting metal into a straight, vertically oriented mold and subsequently drawing off the strand formed in the mold, the straight strand at first is bent into a circular arc shape in a bending zone along a transition curve, is guided along a circular arc guide and finally is straightened in a final straightening zone along a transition curve and, after this, is extracted via an approximately horizontal straight guide.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 1999Date of Patent: December 5, 2000Assignees: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH, Sollac-FosInventors: Heinz Hodl, Michael Stiftinger, Andreas Eichinger, Kurt Engel, Jean-Francois Marioton, Gerard Zurita, Vincent Guyot, Catherine Lopes
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Patent number: 6155331Abstract: The geometry of the cast part is provided as a digital pattern and an inverse pattern for the lost casting mold including any core is generated from the digital pattern. A layer of a particulate molding material is provided. The molding material is made of a first material and a second material. The first material is chemically inert when irradiated by electromagnetic radiation. The second material is curable by a chemical curing process that is initiated by electromagnetic radiation. The layer is scanned by irradiating electromagnetic radiation on places of the layer corresponding to the inverse pattern for the lost casting mold including any core. The irradiation is controlled to initiate the chemical curing process in the second material.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 1996Date of Patent: December 5, 2000Assignee: EOS GmbH Electro Optical SystemsInventors: Hans Langer, Christian Wilkening, Peter Keller, Florian Wendt
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Patent number: 6155330Abstract: A spray forming pattern of a first metal having a melting point at a first temperature is formed. The spray forming pattern has a surface defining a cavity that has the shape of a master pattern. Steel particles having a carbon content in the range of 0.01-0.9% by weight are sprayed onto the spray forming pattern to form a deposit on the spray forming pattern. The deposit has a thickness of at least 0.5 inches and the temperature of the steel particles increases as the thickness of the steel deposit increases. The spraying conditions are controlled so that the steel particles coming into contact with the spray forming pattern results in a surface temperature of the spray forming pattern of less than about 80.degree. C. The deposit and the spray forming pattern are heated to a second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature, to melt the spray forming pattern from the deposit. The resulting deposit has the general shape of the master pattern.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 1998Date of Patent: December 5, 2000Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey Alan Kinane, Grigoriy Grinberg, David Robert Collins, Paul Earl Pergande
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Patent number: 6148902Abstract: A vacuum die casting system has three die casting machines connected to a single vacuum system, all of which is controlled by a programmable logic controller. The controller allows any two of the machines to be operatively connected to the vacuum system so that the casting operation of those two machines are performed under vacuum. The controller comprises six address relays, a sixteen channel input card, a processor, a sixteen channel output card, an interface and two high speed counter cards. The result is an efficient, reliable, and economical vacuum die casting system.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 1997Date of Patent: November 21, 2000Assignee: Outboard Marine CorporationInventors: Michael D. Zielinski, Edward M. Nelson, Walter H. Yelczyn, David M. Regenauer
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Patent number: 6148899Abstract: A mold cavity in a mold vessel is evacuated. A charge of molten infiltrant is transported into the mold vessel while the vacuum is maintained in the mold cavity. Pressure is applied to the molten infiltrant to move the molten infiltrant from the mold vessel into the mold cavity. The molten infiltrant is cooled in the mold cavity to solidify the infiltrant. A fill tube can be used to transport the infiltrant to the mold vessel.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 1998Date of Patent: November 21, 2000Assignee: Metal Matrix Cast Composites, Inc.Inventors: James A. Cornie, Stephen S. Cornie, Ralph P. Mason, Mark A. Ryals
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Patent number: 6145576Abstract: The machine has a pressure drum (1) capable of supplying a current of blowing air through the diffuser (2) towards the moulding box (3), and its characteristics are focused on a specific valve system in which a tubular valve body (7), to which the diffuser (2) is in turn solidly attached, is fixed to the mouth of the drum (1) with the assistance of a supporting frame (8), this assembly defining, with a large central core (15), a peripheral passage (16) for the outlet of air in which an inner valve seat (14) is established for a tubular membrane (11) that is fixed through its marginal areas to the marginal areas of the valve body (7), an enveloping chamber (12) being defined outside the same which, upon being pressurised, causes the membrane (11) to be choked against the seat (14) and consequently the valve to be closed. Opening of the valve (11-14) results, through the diffuser (2), in a jet of air which mainly concentrates on the perimetric area of the moulding box (3), improving sand compacting (5).Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 1998Date of Patent: November 14, 2000Assignee: Loramendi, S.A.Inventor: Agustin Arana Erana
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Patent number: 6145574Abstract: A core is formed and a prefabricated bearing bore is provided. Two separate projections are provided on the core wherein free projection edges of the two separate projections have a respective shaping radius between R=0.sub.mm and R.ltoreq.0.45.sub.mm. Subsequently indentations are produced in a circumferential area of the bearing bore by the two separate projections on the core wherein the indentations serve as fracture notches. The cast engine part is then formed by casting metal around the core using said fraction notches as incipient crack sites.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 1999Date of Patent: November 14, 2000Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Fritz Winter Eisengiesserei GmbH & Co. KGInventors: Clemens Luchner, Horst Henkel