Die casting system for amorphous alloys

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for metering an amount of molten amorphous alloy into a mold cavity of an injection system. A melting chamber in the system is heated to or above a solidus temperature of the alloy to form a hot chamber. Both the chamber and mold are maintained in an inert atmosphere. The molten alloy is metered from the chamber using a valve system and injected into the mold cavity for molding into a part. A feed tube may extend from the hot chamber to the valve system. The valve system may use gravity or pressure from a pump to meter a volume of molten alloy. In another case, the valve system may include a plunger and a shot sleeve for injecting alloy into the mold. In one embodiment, the plunger itself meters a volume of the alloy. The shot sleeve and plunger may optionally be heated.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 providing an amorphous alloy to a melting chamber in an injection system, the injection system also comprising a mold cavity for molding the alloy, and the melting chamber and the mold cavity being maintained in an inert atmosphere;   heating the melting chamber to or above a solidus temperature of the amorphous alloy to form a hot chamber;   melting the amorphous alloy within the hot chamber to form molten alloy;   supplying the molten alloy from the hot chamber to the mold cavity using a valve system; and   molding the molten alloy into a molded part using the mold cavity,   wherein the valve system is configured to inject a metered amount of the molten alloy into the mold cavity.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injection system further comprises a feed tube extending from the hot chamber to the valve system, and wherein the method further comprises supplying the molten alloy from the hot chamber to the feed tube, and supplying the metered amount of the molten alloy from the feed tube into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the valve system comprises a plunger housed in a shot sleeve, and wherein the method further comprises supplying molten alloy from the hot chamber to the shot sleeve, and injecting the metered amount of the molten alloy into the mold cavity using the plunger. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising using the plunger to meter a volume of molten alloy before the injecting into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising heating the plunger and the shot sleeve to or above the solidus temperature of the amorphous alloy. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the plunger comprises a plunger tip, and wherein the method further comprises sealing the molten alloy within the shot sleeve from atmospheric air using the plunger tip. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using gravity or pressure from a pump as part of the valve system to meter a volume of molten alloy for injection into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inert atmosphere is provided via a vacuum using a vacuum source or an inert gas using an inert gas source. 
     
     
         9 . An injection system comprising:
 a melting chamber and a mold cavity, the melting chamber being configured to receive an amorphous alloy for melting into molten alloy and configured be heated by a heat source to or above a solidus temperature of the amorphous alloy to form a hot chamber for containing the molten alloy and the mold cavity being configured to mold the molten alloy into a molded part, both the melting chamber and the mold cavity being configured to be maintained in an inert atmosphere; and   a valve system between the hot chamber and the mold cavity for supplying the molten alloy from the hot chamber to the mold cavity, wherein the valve system is configured to inject a metered amount of the molten alloy into the mold cavity.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the injection system further comprises a feed tube extending from the hot chamber to the valve system, and wherein the feed tube is configured to receive the molten alloy from the hot chamber and supply the metered amount of the molten alloy into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the valve system comprises a plunger housed in a shot sleeve, and wherein the shot sleeve is configured to receive molten alloy from the hot chamber and the plunger is configured to inject the metered amount of the molten alloy into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the shot sleeve is oriented at an acute angle relative to a horizontal axis. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , the plunger is oriented at an acute angle relative to a horizontal axis. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the valve system is configured to use gravity or pressure from a pump to meter a volume of molten alloy for injection into the mold cavity. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the inert atmosphere is provided via a vacuum using a vacuum source or an inert gas using an inert gas source.