Patent ID: 7338629

Claim:
An integrated system for forming and heat treating a metal casting, the system comprising: a pouring station for pouring molten metal into a mold to form the casting; a heat treatment station downstream from said pouring station and including a heat treatment furnace for receiving the casting; a temperature measuring device for monitoring the temperature of the casting as it is transferred from said pouring station to said heat treatment station; a transfer mechanism adjacent said pouring station and in communication with said temperature measuring device, for transferring the casting between said pouring station and said heat treatment station; and at least one heat source along a path of travel of the casting as the casting is transferred from said pouring station to said heat treatment station, said at least one heat source located in a position to apply heat to the casting as needed in response to said temperature measuring device monitoring the temperature of the casting in order to maintain the casting at or above a process control temperature, but below a solution heat treatment temperature for the metal of the casting, to enable solidification of the molten metal sufficient to form the casting; and wherein the process control temperature is a temperature below which for every one minute of time a temperature of the casting decreases, more than one minute of heat treatment time thereafter is required to attain a desired heat treatment properties of the casting.