Method and equipment for bringing metal alloy ingots, billets and the like to the semisolid or semiliquid state in readiness for thixotropic forming

摘要

Equipment for bringing ingots of thixotropic metal alloy to the semisolid or semiliquid state including a heat chamber for holding the solid ingots introduced at ambient temperature, and a source generating air currents within the chamber to heat the ingots principally by convection, and a unit for controlling the temperature of the ingots. The ingots are supported and conveyed through a circular path internally of the heat chamber by a set of radial platforms revolving between an infeed zone and an outfeed zone.