Casting apparatus and casting method

Abstract

The casting apparatus includes a movable mold and a fixed mold, and includes a mold having a coolant channel therein, a mold clamping device, a coolant pump, a laser scanner for detecting an outer shape of the die-cast product, and a control unit, wherein the processor of the control unit acquires an outer shape of the die-cast product from the laser scanner when the mold is separated after casting, calculates a deformation amount with respect to a design shape of the die-cast product based on the acquired outer shape, and adjusts a mold clamping holding time or a coolant flow rate based on the calculated deformation amount.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A casting apparatus that performs casting of a die-cast product, the casting apparatus comprising:
 a mold made up of a movable mold and a fixed mold, within which is provided a coolant channel;   a mold clamping device for performing mold clamping and separation of the mold;   a coolant pump for causing coolant to flow over the coolant channel of the mold;   a shape detector for detecting an external shape of the die-cast product; and   a control unit for adjusting mold clamping holding time of the mold by the mold clamping device or a coolant flow rate of the coolant pump, wherein   the control unit includes a processor for performing information processing, and   the processor
 acquires the external shape of the die-cast product from the shape detector when separating the mold following casting, 
 calculates a deformation amount with respect to a designed shape of the die-cast product, based on the external shape of the die-cast product that is acquired, and 
 adjusts the mold clamping holding time or the coolant flow rate based on the deformation amount that is calculated. 
   
     
     
         2 . The casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor increases the coolant flow rate when the deformation amount that is calculated exceeds a predetermined threshold value. 
     
     
         3 . The casting apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the processor increases the mold clamping holding time when the deformation amount that is calculated exceeds a predetermined other threshold value. 
     
     
         4 . A casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the shape detector is a laser scanner or an ultrasonic shape detector. 
     
     
         5 . A casting method of a die-cast product, the casting method comprising:
 preparing a casting apparatus that includes a mold made up of a movable mold and a fixed mold, within which is provided a coolant channel, a mold clamping device for performing mold clamping and separation of the mold, a coolant pump for causing coolant to flow over the coolant channel of the mold, and a shape detector for detecting an external shape of the die-cast product;   detecting the external shape of the die-cast product by the shape detector when separating the mold following casting;   calculating a deformation amount with respect to a designed shape of the die-cast product, based on the external shape of the die-cast product that is detected; and   increasing a coolant flow rate of the coolant pump when the deformation amount that is calculated exceeds a predetermined threshold value, or increasing the mold clamping holding time of the mold when the deformation amount that is calculated exceeds a predetermined other threshold value.