Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the pour of molten metal into individuals molds. The apparatus comprises a reservoir for holding molten metal to be poured into at least one mold having a sprue and a mold gating system, and a flow control device operatively associated with the reservoir for controlling the flow of molten metal from the reservoir into the mold. A sensor continuously senses the image of the surface of the molten metal in the mold and generates image area information representative of the surface area of the metal relative to the surface of the mold. A sampling circuit repetitively samples the image area information during a pour and generates sampled image area information at a preselected sampling rate. A comparator repetitively compares the sampled image area information to a preselected reference area value and generates a difference value representative of the difference between the image area information and the reference area value.