Patent ID: 6871691

Claim:
An apparatus for producing a disk rotor molded with a metal composite material, the disk rotor having an annular disk-shaped brake ring portion, a cylindrical hub portion formed integrally and concentrically with the brake ring portion, and a lid portion formed integrally with a top end of the hub portion, said apparatus comprising: a forming die comprising a stationary die and a movable die movable in a horizontal direction toward and away from the stationary die, each die having a die surface defining, together with a die surface of another die, a cavity having the same configuration with the disk rotor to be molded, the die surface having an annular surface portion for forming the annular disk-shaped brake portion of the disk rotor; a gate formed in at least one of the stationary die and the movable die at a position below the cavity and communicating with the cavity at a lower end of the annular surface portion of the die surface for the passage therethrough of a molten metal matrix composite material upwardly into the cavity; and a recessed overflow portion formed in an upper part of the annular surface portion of the die surface of at least one of the stationary die and the movable die so as to increase a volume of the cavity, the recessed overflow portion being disposed substantially in diametrically opposite relation to the gate so that the molten metal matrix composite material flows into the overflow portion before the leading ends of the molten metal matrix composite material advancing along the annular surface portion of the die surface merge to fully fill the cavity with molten metal matrix material.