Abstract: For the use of the vacuum die-casting process, it is an essential precondition that the casting process takes place in a circuit sealed off on the outside, so that the undesirable ingress of air is avoided, corresponding safe sealing systems are necessary. The sealing between a casting piston and a suction box is designed in such a way that a long service life of the seal is ensured and a possible risk of accidents is avoided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for injection molding. The injection molding machine includes a mold formed by a fixed mold half and a movable mold half cooperating with the fixed mold half for defining a mold cavity of the mold and a gate channel leading to the mold cavity. An injection piston is operatively associated with the mold cavity for pressing a melt via the gate channel into the mold cavity. A sensor device detects a melt front of the melt rising upstream of the mold cavity in a conveying direction of the melt at a predetermined detection height. The sensor device includes walls defining a measurement gap disposed at the detection height and extending transversely to the conveying direction of the melt. The measurement gap is at least partially penetrated by a fraction of the melt from the melt front when the melt front rises toward the mold cavity.

Abstract: Casting parameters in at least one of a feeding and mold-filling and squeezing phase are controlled during a casting step in a cold-chamber die-casting machine. The casting parameters are controllable as a function of travel of a casting piston longitudinally displaceable in a shot sleeve. The quantity of molten metal filled in within the shot sleeve is determined by precise metering using a stationary optical measuring device. The metering is accomplished by beaming a measuring beam through a filling port of the shot sleeve and reflecting the measuring beam on a surface of the molten metal. The transit time of the measuring beam and the reflected beam are measured to determine a filling level and quantity of molten metal filled in. A control system is provided which controls a movement of the casting piston and a start of each phase as a function of the filling level and the associated quantity of molten metal filled in.

Abstract: A diecasting machine includes a transverse member; a column passing through the transverse member; and a column nut mounted on the column and having an underface being in a face-to-face engagement with a surface area of the transverse member. The column nut applies, with its underface, pressure forces on the surface area of the transverse member. Such pressure forces are derived from forces generated in the diecasting machine, taken up by the column and transmitted by the column to the column nut. The transverse member has a measuring bore which is situated adjacent the surface area of the transverse member and which has an axis oriented transversely to the length dimension of the column. A measuring plug is accommodated in the measuring bore for detecting the pressure forces applied to the surface area by the underface of the column nut and for emitting signals representing magnitudes of the pressure forces.

Abstract: A method for the process control of a pressure diecasting machine, consisting of casting equipment (2) and a casting drive system (1), and an apparatus for carrying out the method are proposed. In order to regulate the movements both of the ram or drive plunger (8) in the pressing cylinder (7) and of the multiplier plunger (17) in the multiplier device (15) in each phase of the casting process, stepless devices (30, 31) measuring displacement and speed to determine the position or movements and also quick-adjustment servo-proportional valves (33 to 36) to regulate the movement both of the ram (8) and of the multiplier plunger (17) are provided.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of determining unacceptable deviations from process parameters associated with manufactured parts, for use with die-casting machines. The method includes entering in a data base empirically determined parameter values for the manufacture of good parts, constantly acquiring during a preproduction phase actual manufacturing parameter values as a set of parameters for each of a predetermined number of manufactured parts, testing the quality of the predetermined number of parts produced during the preproduction phase, classifying the acquired sets of parameters for each preproduction phase manufactured part as good or reject based on the testing, and storing the classified acquired sets of parameters for each preproduction phase manufactured part.

Abstract: In a die-casting machine for producing castings from metals or metal alloys, which castings have a low content of gas, pores and oxides, melt is drawn by means of a vacuum out of a holding device (10) via a suction tube (11) into a casting chamber (3). A casting plunger (7) closes the inlet opening (16) to the casting chamber (3). In order to achieve as low as possible mechanical surface pressure due to flow of the melt, and fluviatile erosion of the die-side end of the inlet opening (16), and thus avoid high wear of this inlet edge or of the casting chamber with casting plunger, a planar or linear inlet cross-section (24, 27) as well as a curved deflection surface (20) on the casting plunger (7) are provided.