The pouring of an aluminum ingot is done as a vertical casting where the sides of the mold are a water cooled sleeve and the base is the face of a hydraulic ram. The cast is made by pouring molten aluminum into the sleeve and carefully lowering the base at a rate equal to the solidification of the ingot. If the rate is too fast, the unsolidified walls of the ingot will rupture and allow molten metal to pour into the casting pit. If the rate is too slow, the pouring process will become slower and more expensive. Measuring and controlling the ideal decent rate is done by using a bi-directional flow meter from Max. The Model P215 meter has the ability to resolve the flow to a fraction of a GPM and will provide the ability to create a closed loop flow control to coordinate the ram’s decent with the pouring rate of the ladle.

Max equipment specified:
Due to the high heat, contact encoders were ruled out to monitor the decent rate. The Max meter is set outside of the casting pit and its high repeatability allows the operator to reset the ram face exactly at the base of the sleeve when the ingot is brought back up to the casting floor. If you would like a quote for a similar project, please let us know.