Patent ID: 7040376

Claim:
A cast-bonding process, characterized by comprising the steps of: a cast-in insert setting step in which a cast-in insert formed from one of an aluminum alloy and an aluminum-based composite material is set in the a cavity of a mold such that only an outer surface of said cast-in insert is exposed to an interior of the mold; a magnesium coating step comprising the steps of: replacing an interior atmosphere of the mold with argon gas; evaporating magnesium inside an atmosphere oven so as to form magnesium gas within said atmosphere oven; supplying argon gas to the atmosphere oven; communicating the magnesium gas, under pressure of the argon gas, from the atmosphere oven to the mold; and coating the outer surface of the cast-in insert with magnesium; a magnesium nitride forming step in which nitrogen gas is supplied into the mold so as to react with the coated magnesium to form a magnesium nitride coating on said outer surface of said cast-in insert; and following formation of said magnesium-nitride coating, a cast-bonding step in which a molten aluminum alloy is poured into the mold such that the outer surface of the cast-in insert is enclosed by the aluminum alloy.