Patent ID: 7036551

Claim:
A method of molding a low melting point metal alloy comprising the steps of, supplying a metallic raw material that exhibits thixotropy properties in a solid-phase and liquid-phase coexisting temperature region as a first molding material, heating said first molding material at a temperature in the solid-phase and liquid-phase coexisting temperature region to form a semisolid material in a solid-phase and liquid-phase coexisting state, supplying, in a first regular molding operation, a required amount of said semisolid material to a heating holding cylinder to be accumulated, and injecting said semisolid material into a mold by one shot from said heating holding cylinder, wherein, at the start of a next regular molding operation, the method further comprises, increasing a temperature of the heating holding cylinder to a liquidus temperature or higher, wholly melting any remaining material from a preceding molding operation remaining in said heating holding cylinder in a solid state, supplying additional first molding material to be temporarily molded in a temporary molding operation while lowering the temperature of the heating holding cylinder to a temperature in the solid-phase and liquid-phase coexisting temperature region, and then starting a next regular molding operation after the cylinder temperature has reached the solid-phase and liquid-phase coexisting temperature region.