Chill blocks and methods for manufacturing chill blocks

Abstract

A chill block made from copper bonded to tool steel is disclosed. A tool steel layer of the chill block of less than about 0.5 inches thick is present on the parting surface of the chill block or chill block face. A tool steel layer may also be present on a portion of the sides of the chill blocks and/or the bottom of the chill block. Chill blocks in accordance with the present invention allow molten metal to solidify in the passageway formed by a pair of chill blocks, and provide for efficient manufacturing of objects by die casting methods.

1 . A method of manufacturing a chill block, comprising: 
 forming a first surface of a chill block from a first material; and    bonding a second material to the first surface.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first material is steel.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second material is a copper metal.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first surface has a thickness of the first material of less than about 0.5 inches.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising bonding a third material to a side of the second material that is not in contact with the first material.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising machining the chill block after the step of bonding the second material to the first material.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 machining the chill block after the step of bonding the second material to the first material; and    machining the chill block after the step of bonding the third material to the second material.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the third material is steel.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first surface is formed in a ceramic mold.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the chill block is formed in a ceramic mold.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the steel is chosen from the group consisting of ANSI H13, ANSI A2, and ANSI S7.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the copper metal is beryllium copper.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a surface hardness of the first material is at least 30 Rockwell “C” scale (Rc).  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a surface hardness of the steel ranges from about 30 to about 70 Rc.  
   
   
       15 . A method of manufacturing a chill block, comprising: 
 using a rapid solidification process to spray a first material that forms a first layer of a chill block;    using said rapid solidification process to spray a second material onto a first surface of the first layer, said second material comprising copper.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first layer has a thickness of less than about 0.5 inches.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first layer has a hardness ranging from about 30 to about 70 Rc.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first layer has a thickness of less than about 0.5 inches and a hardness ranging from about 30 to about 70 Rc.  
   
   
       19 . A chill block, comprising: 
 a chill block base having a top surface and a bottom surface and comprising a first material; and    a first layer of a second material bonded to the top surface of the chill block base.    
   
   
       20 . The chill block of  claim 19 , wherein the second material has a thickness of less than about 0.5 inches.  
   
   
       21 . The chill block of  claim 19 , further comprising a layer of a third material bonded to the bottom surface of the chill block base.  
   
   
       22 . The chill block of  claim 19 , wherein the chill block base is made from a material comprising copper.  
   
   
       23 . A tool device for use with a die casting process for shaping and solidifying molten metal into a shaped object, comprising: 
 shaping means for forming the shape of an object; and    a first chilling means for solidifying metal that exits the shaping means, wherein the first chilling means comprises a layer of a first material and a layer of a second material that are bonded together.    
   
   
       24 . The tool device of  claim 23 , further comprising: 
 metal inlet means for allowing metal to flow into the tool device.    
   
   
       25 . The tool device of  claim 23 , further comprising: 
 overflow means between the shaping means and the first chilling means.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising a second chilling means arranged with the first chilling means to form a chill block passageway.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the first material comprises steel, and the second material comprises copper.