Caster assembly

Abstract

A caster assembly configured to process and store a material includes a reaction chamber, a storage assembly configured to store material processed in the reaction chamber, and a blower configured to process and store the material. The reaction chamber includes a vessel configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing and a powder generating assembly configured to receive the material from the melting vessel. The powder generating assembly includes a feeding chamber and a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber. The feeding device includes at least one nozzle configured to inject inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two into the feeding chamber and a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber to be exposed to the inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A caster assembly configured to process and store a material, the assembly comprising:
 (a) a reaction chamber in which the material is processed, the chamber comprising:
 (i) a vessel configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing; 
 (ii) a powder generating assembly configured to receive the material from the melting vessel, the powder generating assembly comprising:
 (aa) a feeding chamber; and 
 (bb) a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber, the feeding device comprising at least one nozzle configured to inject fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two, into the feeding chamber, the feeding device further comprising a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber to be exposed to the inert fluid; and 
 
   (b) a storage assembly configured to store the material, the storage assembly comprising:
 (i) a storage container; 
 (ii) a manifold that connects the feeding device to the storage container; and 
 (iii) a valve that controls flow of the material from the feeding device to the storage container through the manifold; and 
   (c) a blower assembly, the blower assembly configured to provide the inert fluid through the at least one nozzle to form the material and transport the material to the storage container,   wherein at least the reaction chamber and the storage assembly form a gas-tight seal from ambient gas surrounding the caster assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The caster assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the material a metal, a metallic alloy, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The caster assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a temperature control assembly comprising one or both of a thermal imaging device and a pyrometer calibrated by a thermocouple. 
     
     
         4 . The caster assembly  claim 1 , further comprising a port configured to provide for injection of additional material. 
     
     
         5 . The caster assembly of  claim 4 , further comprising a telescoping arm configured to connect the port to the vessel. 
     
     
         6 . The caster assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the storage assembly further comprises a force transducer configured to measure a weight of material in the storage container. 
     
     
         7 . The caster assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the blower assembly further comprises a filter. 
     
     
         8 . A reaction chamber for a caster assembly configured to process material, the reaction chamber comprising:
 (a) a tundish configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing; and   one, two or more of:   (b) a powder generating assembly configured to selectively receive material from the tundish, the powder generating assembly comprising
 (i) a feeding chamber; and 
 (ii) a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber, the feeding device comprising at least one nozzle configured to inject inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two into the feeding chamber, the feeding device further comprising a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber to be exposed to the inert fluid; 
   (c) a flake generating assembly comprising a wheel configured to selectively receive material from the tundish; and   (d) a book molding assembly comprising a book mold.   
     
     
         9 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8  having all three of the powder generating assembly, the flake generating assembly and the book molding assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8 , wherein the material comprises a metal, a metallic alloy, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8 , further comprising a control system configured to remotely control a position of the tundish relative to one of the powder generating assembly, the flake generating assembly, and/or the book molding assembly in order to process the material. 
     
     
         12 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8 , wherein the control system further comprises multiple sensors disposed within the chamber, the multiple temperature sensors configured to provide three-dimensional dynamic mapping of one or more of pressure, temperature, and emissivity of hot and cold spots within the chamber. 
     
     
         13 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8 , wherein the wheel is coated with a coating that includes a transition metal, preferably silver. 
     
     
         14 . The reaction chamber of  claim 8 , wherein the silver coating has a thickness of at least 100 micrometers. 
     
     
         15 . A caster assembly configured to process and store material, the assembly comprising:
 a reaction chamber in which the material is processed, the chamber comprising:   (a) a vessel configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing;   (b) a powder generating assembly configured to receive material from the melting vessel, the powder generating assembly comprising:
 (i) a feeding chamber that defines an outlet  33 ′ that has a centerpoint C′ and lies in a plane P, the feeding chamber  33  extending vertically about a center axis C that is perpendicular to plane P and includes centerpoint and 
 (ii) a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber, the feeding device comprising at least a first nozzle and a second nozzle, the first nozzle configured to inject a first inert fluid into the feeding chamber in a first direction, where the first inert fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two, and the second nozzle configured to inject a second inert fluid into the feeding chamber in a second direction, where the second inert fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two and the second inert fluid is the same as or different from the first inert fluid, the first direction being different from the second direction, the feeding device further comprising a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber in a third direction to be exposed to at least the first and second inert fluids. 
   
     
     
         16 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the material is a metal, a metallic alloy, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the first direction includes a radial component such that the first direction extends at least partially away from the center axis and the second direction includes a tangential component such that the second direction extends at least partially about the center axis. 
     
     
         18 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the third direction includes an axial component such that the third direction extends at least partially downward along the center axis. 
     
     
         19 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , where the feeding device further comprises a third nozzle configured to inject inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two into the feeding chamber in a fourth direction, the fourth direction including an axial component such that the fourth direction extends at least partially downward along the center axis and the fourth direction also optionally includes a radial component such that the fourth direction also extends radially inwardly. 
     
     
         20 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 (c) a storage assembly configured to store the material, the storage assembly comprising:
 (i) a storage container; 
 (ii) a manifold that connects the feeding device to the storage container; and 
 (iii) a valve that controls flow of the material from the feeding device to the storage container through the manifold; and 
   (d) a blower assembly, the blower configured to provide inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two through the at least one nozzle to form the material and transport the material to the storage container.   
     
     
         21 . The caster assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the material inlet is disposed downstream of the first nozzle and the second nozzle.