Slurry-on-Demand (SOD) is a rheocasting process where molten alloy is cooled to the semi-solid state prior to forming in a metal die. The process begins when molten alloy is ladled from a furnace into a slurry producing unit. Here the charge is simultaneously stirred via magnetic field and cooled in a controlled manner to form a semi-solid billet consisting of globular primary phase comprising a desired solid fraction, typically around 50%. Figures 1-2 depict the differences between SOD and traditional high pressure die cast (HPDC) microstructures. Once the billet is created, it is ejected from the slurry producing unit and transferred immediately into the cold chamber of a high pressure die casting machine where it is injected into the die cavity.
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