Casting installation for casting metal casting material and method for casting metal casting material

Abstract

An installation and method for casting metal casting material. The installation includes a melt-pool container providing casting material in a liquid state, a casting device forcing casting material into a casting die, and a dosing container, which is movable from the melt-pool container to the casting device and embodied as a dosing pipette to deliver a dosable amount of casting material from the melt-pool container into a receiving space. The dosing container is coupled to an evacuation device in order to evacuate the receiving space to a negative pressure for receiving the amount of casting material into the receiving space. A conditioning station has an induction unit, wherein, before delivery of casting material to the casting device via the dosing container, the dosing container in movable to the conditioning station to electromagnetically stir the casting material using the induction unit for converting the casting material into a thixotropic state.

1 . A casting installation for casting metal casting material, wherein the casting installation comprises a melt-pool container for providing casting material in a liquid state, a casting device, embodied for forcing casting material into a casting die of the casting device, and a dosing container which can be moved from the melt-pool container to the casting device and which, in particular, is embodied as a dosing pipette, in order to use the dosing container to take up a dosable amount of casting material from the melt-pool container into a receiving space of the dosing container and deliver it to the casting device, wherein the dosing container is coupled to an evacuation device of the casting installation, in order to use the evacuation device to evacuate the receiving space to form a negative pressure in the receiving space for the purpose of receiving the amount of casting material into the receiving space, wherein the casting installation comprises a conditioning station having an induction unit, wherein, before delivery of casting material to the casting device using the dosing container, it is possible, in particular as a matter of choice, to move the dosing container to the conditioning station, in order to electromagnetically stir the casting material using the induction unit for the purpose of converting the casting material into a thixotropic state. 
     
     
         2 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein the dosing container comprises a casting material opening which can be closed using a controllable closure, in particular closing plug, in order to supply casting material to the receiving space via the casting material opening when the casting material opening is open. 
     
     
         3 . The casting installation according to  claim 2 , wherein the casting material opening of the dosing container is arranged in a base region of the dosing container. 
     
     
         4 . The casting installation according to  claim 2 , wherein the casting material opening is formed by a tubular neck of the dosing container, which neck protrudes away from a base body of the dosing container. 
     
     
         5 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein the dosing container is embodied to deliver free-flowing metal casting material having a solid phase content of more than 0.1%, in particular between 0.1% and 20%, preferably between 1% and 15%, particularly preferably between 3% and 10%, from the receiving space to the casting device. 
     
     
         6 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein induction unit defines a treatment receptacle into which the dosing container can be at least partially inserted for an electromagnetic stirring of the casting material in the receiving space, so that the dosing container is, at least in sections, surrounded by the induction unit. 
     
     
         7 . The casting installation according to  claim 6 , wherein the induction unit is formed with one or more inductors, in particular induction coils, wherein the inductors define the treatment receptacle. 
     
     
         8 . The casting installation according to  claim 6 , wherein the dosing container can be inserted into the treatment receptacle such that at least 20%, in particular at least 50%, of a volume of the receiving space is located inside of the treatment receptacle. 
     
     
         9 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein the conditioning station comprises a cooling device with which the casting material in the receiving space can be cooled in the case of a dosing container that has been guided to the conditioning station, in particular simultaneously with the electromagnetic stirring of the casting material using the induction unit. 
     
     
         10 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling device can be formed with one or more cooling elements through which a cooling fluid can flow, which cooling elements are preferably arranged and embodied such that said elements can surround, at least in sections, the dosing container in a position of the dosing container guided to the conditioning station. 
     
     
         11 . The casting installation according to  claim 1 , wherein the induction unit is embodied to be movable, so that the induction unit can, to some extent, be moved in tandem with the dosing container. 
     
     
         12 . A method for casting metal casting material, wherein a dosing container, in particular a dosing pipette, is used to take up a dosed amount of casting material into a receiving space of the dosing container from a melt-pool container with liquid casting material or casting material in a solid state is fed into the receiving space, after which the dosing container is moved from the melt-pool container to a casting device, and casting material from the receiving space is delivered to the casting device, in order to use the casting device to force the casting material delivered to the casting device into a casting die of the casting device, wherein during a taking-up of liquid casting material using the dosing container, the receiving space is evacuated using an evacuation device so that a negative pressure is formed in the receiving space for the purpose of receiving the amount of casting material into the receiving space, wherein, before the delivery of the casting material to the casting device, the dosing container is moved to a conditioning station having an induction unit, after which the casting material in the receiving space is electromagnetically stirred with the induction unit in order to convert the casting material into a thixotropic state. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein a solid phase content of the casting material in the receiving space is adjusted between 0.1% and 20% with the conditioning station. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , that wherein the casting material in the receiving space is actively cooled simultaneously with the electromagnetic stirring, in order to convert the casting material into the thixotropic state. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the conditioning station, in particular the induction unit, is controlled, in particular controlled in a closed loop, in an automated manner depending on a material composition of the casting material, in order to adjust a thixotropic state of the casting material, in particular with a predefined solid phase content.