Patent DE-102011103315-B3 (DE)
Title: Device, useful for producing hollow spheres and shells made of metallic melts, comprises heating system, crucible as container with lid for melting metal, air supply unit, and nozzle having nozzle extension at outer side of nozzle
Inventor: BAST JUERGEN
IPC: B22F9/06
Filed: 2011-05-31
Granted: 2012-12-06
Abstract: The device comprises a heating system (13), a crucible (14) as container with a lid (12) for melting a metal, where the crucible stands in connection with the heating system and a computer controlled protective gas delivery system, an air supply unit (15) in which opening times of a magnetic valve (8) responsible for an air supply are influenced by a size of bubbles, a nozzle having a nozzle extension at an outer side of the nozzle, a tubular-shaped hollow needle assigned to the air supply unit, and a computer with program-technical unit. The device comprises a heating system (13), a crucible (14) as container with a lid (12) for melting a metal, where the crucible stands in connection with the heating system and a computer controlled protective gas delivery system, an air supply unit (15) in which opening times of a magnetic valve (8) responsible for an air supply are influenced by a size of bubbles, a nozzle having a nozzle extension at an outer side of the nozzle, a tubular-shaped hollow needle assigned to the air supply unit, a computer with program-technical unit for detection, analysis and control of process-relevant parameters, a heated feeder, and a tilting mechanism with two swivel bearings. An insulated chamber of the heating system and the crucible over a protective gas pipe is filled with protective gas using a special lid. The hollow needle is led by the crucible throughout an inner front side of the nozzle, and a distance between an output of the hollow needle and the inner front side of the nozzle is adjustable depending on a viscosity of the melt. The heated feeder is arranged between an output opening of the crucible and the nozzle extension. The bubbles from the nozzle extension are squeezed out through air-/gas supply, and are stabilized in a cooling process. The crucible is tilted to a certain position with an angle deviated from a vertical position. The protective gas protects a melt against oxidization, and simultaneously produces a pressure, which affects the melt. The computer receives an information via an actual temperature value of the melt of a sheath thermocouple standing in connection with the computer, where time intervals of the air supply are controlled by the magnetic valve using the computer. The air supply unit comprises a pressure spring, a controllable magnet, a manometer, an air supply pipe, a retaining plate, an attraction plate and an air supply needle. The heated feeders are attached to the output opening of the crucible whose chamber is distributed to the output opening of the crucible. A change of inclination angle of the crucible is feasible over the swivel bearings of the crucible. Pressure adjustments are realized by the change of inclination angle of the entire device. The air supply hollow needle occupies a horizontal position, an inclined position or a vertical position in the crucible. The device is connected to the feeder, and further comprises a downstream stabilization chamber having the swivel bearings and a first blower device with a horizontal blowing direction, a separation unit, a second blower device with a vertical blowing direction and a suction unit in an upper area of the stabilization chamber, and a shielded cylinder-shaped feeder comprising a hollow cylindrical region. A shielding region is assigned to the stabilization chamber. The heated feeder comprises an inner heating coil structure, and is assigned to a free end of the nozzle extension. The bubble is squeezed out from the nozzle extension to the air supply unit. The temperatures are detected by sensor cables. A needle guide is present whose height is minimum three times a diameter of the air supply hollow needle. A movement of the air supply hollow needle is replaced by a vertical oscillation in which a vibrator produces and controls the magnets in or at a bottom part of the crucible. The nozzle comprises a lower punch disk and an upper punch disk, where the punch disks are placed one above the other at the nozzle extension. The upper punch disk contains an inner ring, and an outer ring in which a decentralized borehole is introduced, where the two rings are lockable by a releasable bolt. The lower punch disk contains inner boreholes arranged on an inner circle, and outer boreholes arranged on an outer circle. The nozzle is made of non-wettable material. The air supply hollow needle is provided in form of a piezo-controlled pipette so that the air and/or the gas is fed through the piezo pipette. The piezo-pipette is coupled with the computer via a signal transmission.