GB2483259A - Apparatus for conveying molten metal from a furance to stationary moulds - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for conveying molten metal from a furnace 100 into any one of a plurality of moulds 28â comprises two launders 51 & 52â The first launder 51 conveys metal from the furnace 100 into the second launder 52â and the second launder 52â conveys metal into any of a plurality of moulds 28â The first launder 51 is pivotable about a point 60 where metal is fed from it into the second launder 52â The second launder 52â is also pivotable about the same point 60 and can be translated relative to the first launder 51. (52â ñ shows a location of the second launder after pivoting and translation relative to its location shown at 52â ). The second launder 52â is mounted on a trolley 53â located on a gantry 54 above the moulds 28â . By moving the trolley the second launder can be located over a desired mould, while pivoting about the pivot point 60 and translating relative to the first launder 51. The apparatus can be used convey molten metal from a furnace to a plurality of stationary moulds and solidifying the metal while the moulds are stationary.

Description

CASTING

The present invention relates generally to casting. More specifically, but not exclusively, the invention relates to casting apparatus for use in the metals industry, e.g. the aluminium industry, a method of metal casting and metal articles formed therefrom.

In the metals industry, particularly in the field of aluminium recovery, raw material is processed in a furnace and cast into moulds to be sold on or returned to a customer.

The raw material which may be scrap or dross (i.e. residual furnace waste) is melted in a furnace, tapped into a mould and allowed to set.

The molten material, e.g. recovered aluminium, may be cast into different shapes and/or sizes, e.g. from 5kg ingots to 500kg sows, the final form depending on the intended use of the material.

Typically, but not always, small ingots are used for high grade or alloyed metal and large sows for lower grade metal. In general, most dross processors throughout the world do not have the capability to refine high grade or alloyed metal. Therefore, most of the recovered metal throughout the world is first cast into large sows.

Figure 1 shows a number of prior art sows 1 stacked at the despatch yard of an aluminium processing plant.

Cast sows 1 are easy to handle insofar as they can be lifted directly, e.g. by forklift, without use of a pallet and do not require strapping. Ingots, on the other hand, must be stacked on and strapped to a pallet in order to be transported safely.

The process used to cast such prior art sows 1 typically involves the use of a piece of machinery known as a casting conveyor 10, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 depicts a two-track conveyor 10 (other prior art conveyors 10 comprise a single track).

The casting conveyor 10 comprises a pair of adjacent parallel tracks 11, 12, each track 11, 12 further comprising a pair of roller chains ha, llb; 12a, 12b. The conveyor 10 is positioned beneath a stationary furnace 30 such that molten material can be cast therefrom.

As both tracks 11, 12 are essentially identical, only one of the tracks 11, 12, i.e. track 11, will be discussed in further detail.

The roller chains ha, hlb are connected at one end of the track 11 to a motor 20 via a pair of sprocket wheels 22a, 22b mounted to an axle 24, as shown in Figure 3. The motor 20 may comprise a gearbox 26 operable to rotate the sprocket wheels 22a, 22b either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Therefore, the other end of the track (not shown) need not comprise a second motor.

As shown in Figure 2, sow moulds 28 are mounted on to the chains ha, hlb. Since the sprocket wheels 22a, 22b are rotatable either clockwise or anti-clockwise the sow moulds 28 may be translated forward or rearward along the track 11.

At the beginning of the casting operation the sow moulds 28 are placed in a linear fashion along one half of each track 11, 12.

During operation, the motor 20 engages the chains ha, hhb via the sprocket wheels 22a, 22b, which, in turn, transport the aligned sow moulds 28 from one half of the track 11 to the other half. A second motor (not shown) is operable independently to control track 12. The sow moulds 28 are held stationary beneath the furnace 30 long enough for molten metal to be transferred into the moulds 28. When the moulds 28 are full, the conveyor 10 operates to position the next pair of moulds 28 in the series beneath the furnace 30 for casting to continue.

However, because the sow moulds 28 are moved from one half of the track 11, 12 to the other half, the total length of the tracks 11, 12 has to be at least twice the length of the total number of sow moulds 28.

A typical stationary furnace 30 can hold and pour approximately twenty tonnes of molten metal in one cycle. Twenty tonnes of molten metal may equate to approximately forty sow moulds 28. Forty sow moulds 28 arranged back-to-back along a single track would require approximately forty eight metres of space on a factory floor. Therefore, the total length of a single track must be ninety six metres.

Very few sites can accommodate a single track of this length on a factory floor. Having two parallel tracks 11, 12, as depicted by Figures 2 to 4, can reduce the length of the apparatus.

Figure 4 shows the casting conveyor 10 positioned beneath a stationary furnace 30. The furnace 30 comprises a first tap 31 and a second tap 32.

The first tap 31 is positioned directly over track 11 and the second tap 32 is positioned directly over track 12.

While this reduction in length has its advantages, e.g. partially reducing factory floor length, accommodating a pair of forty eight metre tracks still remains a challenge for many sites.

Therefore, most plants have undersized conveyors 10 (i.e. considerably less than forty eight metres). When the tracks 11, 12 of a conveyor 10 are too short, the sow moulds 28 must be removed from one end whilst they remain hot in order to accommodate space for the next pair of aligned moulds 28. This is disadvantageous, not least because removing moulds 28 from the conveyor 10 whilst they remain hot is dangerous (especially to the operator), but often results in damaged sows 1.

Moreover, use of a two-hole furnace is less desirable than use of a furnace having a single hole in the middle because of the flat surface 36 that exists between the holes 31, 32 (residual material can be retained on this surface 36 during casting). Thus, having a single hole at the centre of a V-shaped furnace is much more effective at casting all of the material contained therein during operation. As a consequence a single-hole furnace is preferred over a two-hole furnace.

Other disadvantages relate to the quality of the sow 1 formed as a consequence of using such a casting conveyer 10 process. For example, as the conveyor 10 repeatedly starts and stops, ripples form on the surface of the molten sows, which ripples tend to solidify at the edges thus forming sows 1, which may be rejected by customers or onward processors.

Moreover, when the moulds 28 are removed from the conveyor 10 whilst they remain hot the operator must still wait for a skin to form on the surface of the molten metal otherwise the sow 1 will form into an irregular shape. However, due to time constraints, the moulds 28 are often removed whilst the skin has not formed or is too thin, thus forming

rejectable sows 1.

Examples of damaged and/or rejectable sows 1 are shown in Figures 5 to 7.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the solidified ripples 2 and raised edges 3 that form around the circumference of the sow 1. Such sows 1 must be manually cut with a chisel and the recovered dross recycled. This is clearly undesirable, since it is time-consuming and requires additional manpower.

Figure 7 depicts a sow 1 having an irregular shape 4 due to the mould 28 having being removed from the conveyor 10 before a skin had fully formed on the surface of the molten metal.

Other known disadvantages of the casting conveyor 10 include continued maintenance and the risk of a major breakdown.

For instance, it is inevitable that molten aluminium will come into contact with (e.g. splash onto) the track chains ha, hhb; 12a, 12b, which aluminium must be removed (e.g. melted by blowtorch) before reaching and damaging the sprocket wheels 22a, 22b. Further, the huge torque on the sprocket wheels 22a, 22b means that the chains ha, hlb; h2a, 12b often snap subsequent to contact with such aluminium which can result in significant conveyor 10 downtime.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and a method of operation which overcome, or at least substantially reduce, at least one or more of the disadvantages discussed above.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide articles formed by use of the apparatus and method which do not contain any one or more of the defects described above.

According to a first aspect, the invention provides apparatus for conveying material from a furnace to a plurality of locations, the apparatus comprising conveying means pivotable and/or translatable to deliver therealong material to the plurality of locations.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides apparatus for conveying material from a furnace to a plurality of locations, the apparatus comprising a first conveying means to pass the material travelling therein to a second conveying means, which second conveying means is movable relative to the first conveying means to deliver the material passed thereto to the plurality of locations.

Preferably, the first conveying means is movable.

The first and/or second conveying means may be movable by actuator means, e.g. hydraulic means or a motor such as an electric motor.

Preferably, the first conveying means comprises a first opening for receiving the material from a furnace and a second opening for passing the material to the second conveying means.

Preferably, the first conveying means is located above the second conveying means at the point at which the material is passed from the first conveying means to the second conveying means.

Preferably, the first conveying means does not directly contact the second conveying means.

Preferably, in use, the principal longitudinal axis of the second conveying means moves relative to the first conveying means. For example, this occurs when the second conveying means is moved, e.g. translated between a forward position and a rearward position.

Preferably, the point at which the material is passed from the first conveying means to the second conveying means is coincident with a pivot point.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means are pivotable about the pivot point.

Preferably, the pivot point defines a substantially vertical pivot axis.

Preferably, at the pivot point, the apparatus comprises a two-part support.

Preferably, the first part supports the first conveying means and the second part supports the second conveying means.

Preferably, the first and second parts of the two-part support are pivotable about the pivot point.

Preferably, the first and second parts of the two-part support are pivotable independently.

Preferably, the first and/or second parts of the two-part support comprise guide means. For example, the guide means may comprise one or more rollers for receiving the first and/or second conveying means, e.g. such that the first and/or second conveying means is operable to be moved through the two-part support.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means is translatable, e.g. across the rollers, between a forward position and a rearward position.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means comprise an incline or sloping portion to encourage the material therewithin to flow from the furnace to the plurality of locations.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means are inclined at an angle of from 0.1° to 4° to the horizontal, more preferably from 0.5° to 3.5° to the horizontal, even more preferable from 2° to 25° to the horizontal, e.g. 2.5°.

Preferably, the incline may vary along the length of the first and/or second conveying means.

Preferably, the incline may be adjustable, e.g. as the first and/or second conveying means is moved from a first to a second position.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means is supported by support means, e.g. a plurality of legs depending therefrom.

Preferably, each of the plurality of legs comprises a roller at its end, which roller is guided along a path, e.g. a rail, mounted on a floor surface.

The first and/or second conveying means may have additional support from further support means, e.g. structural beams, which may be connected at the top of the conveying means.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means comprise elongate channel sections, e.g. launders.

Preferably, the first and/or second conveying means are heatable, in use, e.g. by gas or oil burners or by any other suitable heating means.

Preferably, the first and/or second means may be heated, in use, to a temperature of greater than 400°C, more preferably between 400°C to 600°C, even more preferably between 400°C to 500°C, e.g. 450°C.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a gantry.

Advantageously, the gantry defines an area within which the plurality of locations is located beneath.

Preferably, the gantry comprises a pair of spaced-apart rails.

Preferably, the spaced-apart rails are interconnected by a bridge.

Preferably, the bridge is movable along the rails, eg. by motorised rollers.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises deposit means.

Preferably, the deposit means is movable across the bridge, e.g. by motorised rollers.

Preferably, the deposit means, e.g. the movable deposit means, provides a support for the first and/or second conveying means.

Preferably the deposit means is or is able to be in fluid communication with the first and/or second conveying means.

Preferably, the material comprises molten material, e.g. a molten metal such as aluminium (Al).

Preferably, the material comprises 100 % Al.

However, in some case the material may comprise from 10 to 95 w/w% Al, or from 30 to 80 w/w% Al, or from 35 to 70 w/w% Al, e.g. from 40 to w/w% Al.

Preferably, at each of the plurality of locations there is provided a mould, e.g. to form a matrix or array of moulds, arranged, say, in rows and columns. The matrix may comprise up to 100 or more moulds, preferably up to 50 moulds, more preferably up to 30 moulds, e.g. 15 moulds.

Advantageously, the apparatus can be arranged to selectively deposit material at any one of the locations by moving the first and/or second conveying means.

According to a third aspect, the invention provides a method for conveying material from a furnace to a plurality of locations, the method comprising: * passing material from a furnace to a first conveying means; and * passing the material from the first conveying means to a second conveying means, wherein, the second conveying means is movable relative to the first conveying means to deliver the material passed thereto to a plurality of locations.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides a method of industrially casting molten material, the method comprising melting the material in an industrial furnace, tapping the material from the furnace, conveying the material to a plurality of stationary moulds, allowing or causing the material to cool in the moulds to a solid state whilst the moulds are stationary.

Preferably, the method further comprises removing the cooled material from the moulds.

This is advantageous because the material is cooled in the mould to a state in which it cannot deform or be deformed before it is moved and/or removed from the mould and/or moved subsequent to de-moulding.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides a sow substantially free from deformities.

Deformity-free may relate to a sow free from rippled edges and/or raised edges and/or protruded surfaces and/or an irregular shape.

According to a sixth aspect, the invention provides a sow formed using the apparatus and/or method as described herein.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention and method of its operation will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 8 is a plan view of the apparatus; Figure 9a is a plan view of a conveying means; Figure 9b is a side view of the conveying means of Figure 9a; Figure 9c is a cross-sectional view along the line X-X of Figure 9a; Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a pivot point of the apparatus; Figure ha is a plan view of the frame means; Figure llb is a side elevational view of the frame means of Figure 1 la; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the frame means; and Figure 13 is an article according to the present invention.

Referring firstly to Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings, a casting apparatus, indicated generally at 5, comprises a first launder 51, a second launder 52 and deposit means 53. The deposit means 53 is in the form of a movable trolley 53 which spans an area defined by a gantry 54.

The casting apparatus 5 is operable to transfer molten material, ag.

molten metal, from a stationary furnace 100 to a matrix or array of stationary sow moulds 28' located beneath the gantry 54.

The launders 51, 52 and gantry 54 each comprise moveable components to enable the transfer of the molten material from the furnace 100 to the sow moulds 28' via the trolley 53. For example, Figure 8 shows the first launder 51 in a first 51' and a second 51" position. Similarly, the second launder 52 and trolley 53 are shown adopting first 52', 53' and second 52", 53" positions.

As will become readily apparent, the casting apparatus 5 may adopt many different orientations in order to transfer the molten material to the desired sow moulds 28', therefore the apparatus 5 is not restricted to the positions shown in Figure 8.

With reference now to Figure 9, there is shown, in detail, the first launder 51. As viewed in plan (Figure 9a) the first launder 51 is rotatable at one end about a pivot point 60 between the first 51' and second 51" positions.

The pivot point 60 defines a substantially vertical axis (i.e.. through the plane of the page).

The first launder 51 comprises a substantially elongate channel having, at the end opposite from the pivot point 60, a material receiving port 511 and, at the pivot point 60 end, a material depositing port 512.

In one embodiment, the material depositing port 512 comprises an open-ended channel section, e.g. a channel section without an end wall.

In alternative embodiments, the depositing port 512 may comprise an aperture or tap or other such means to allow egress of the material from the first launder 51 to the second launder 52.

As depicted by Figure 9b, the first launder 51 further comprises four legs 513 depending therefrom. Each of the legs 513 has a wheel 514 at its base which runs along a track (not shown) as the launder 51 is pivoted about the pivot point 60, e.g. from the first 51' to the second 51" position.

Accordingly, the tracks are curved in order to guide the wheels 514 about a circumferential path.

As will be readily understood, the first launder 51 is inclined to allow the material to flow therealong by gravity. The first 51 (and second 52) launders are preferably inclined at an angle of from approximately 2.00 to 3*50, e.g. 2.0°, to the horizontal.

Figure 9c shows a cross-sectional view along the line X-X of Figure 9a.

Here the channel profile can be appreciated. As will be seen, the launder 51 comprises a flat-bottomed support 516 having a substantially trapezoidal shape and upstanding side walls 517. The flat-bottomed support 516 and side walls 517 define the channel 518 in which the molten material can pass therethrough.

In the embodiment being described, the first launder 51 is substantially hook-shaped, this being advantageous when the furnace tap 101 is positioned at the rear of the furnace 100, as depicted by Figure 8.

In other embodiments, the first launder 51 may comprise any shape suitable for conveying the molten material from the furnace 100 to the pivot point 60.

The first launder 51 is connected to a hydraulic piston 55, which piston 55 is operable to move the launder about the pivot point 60, e.g. from the first 51' to the second 51" position.

The second launder 52, as best illustrated by Figures 8 and 10, comprises an elongate channel section comprising a base 521 and upstanding side walls 522.

The second launder 52 is receivable at one end 523 by the pivot point 60 and is secured, e.g. by a bolt, at the other end 524 to the trolley 53. The second launder 52 comprises a port (not shown) at the end 524 for depositing the material into any one of the sow moulds 28' located beneath the gantry 54. The distal end 524 of the second launder 52 may sit on top of or hang beneath the trolley 53.

The second launder 52 is operable to be both pivoted about the pivot point and traversed longitudinally through the pivot point 60 by operation of the trolley 53, as will be discussed below.

The pivot point 60 of Figure 10 will now be described.

The pivot point 60 comprises a first support 70 and a second support 80.

The first support 70 comprises upstanding channel sections 71 interconnected at the top by horizontal bar sections 72. The upstanding channel sections 71 are supported by a surface 5, e.g. a factory floor.

The first launder 51 is connected to the first support 70 by a bolt 73 depending from a central part of the horizontal bar section 72.

In one embodiment, the first launder 51 may be freely rotatable about the principal longitudinal axis of the bolt 73 while the first support 70 remains stationary.

Additionally or alternatively the first launder 51 may be rotatable by rotation of the first support 70, e.g. on a turn plate.

The second support 80 comprises a base 81 having a pair of walls 82 upstanding therefrom. The walls 82 comprise first 821 and second 822 sections. The first sections 821 of the walls 82 adjacent the base 81 are parallel to one another and the second sections 822 of the walls 82 distal from the base 81 diverge away from one another. The base 81 is freely rotatable about a point 83 on the surface S. Mounted to the inner surfaces of the base 81 and the walls 82 are rollers 84 receivable to guide the second 52 launder through the pivot point 60.

Turning to Figure 11, the gantry 54 and will now be described.

The gantry 54 comprises a pair of spaced apart parallel rails 541, each having a recess or guide 542 running therealong. Spanning the rails 541 is a bridge member 543. The bridge member 543 comprises an elongate channel section 544 having at both ends shorter channel sections 545 secured orthogonally.

Each section 545 comprises a pair of wheels 546 and a drive motor 547.

The wheels 546 sit in the recess or guide 542 of the rails 541 and the motor 547 is operable to drive the wheels 546 such that the bridge member 543 can span the area beneath the gantry 54.

The trolley 53 comprises a set of wheels 531 and a drive motor 532. The drive motor 532 is operable to drive the wheels 531 such that the trolley 53 can move across the bridge member 543. Thus, in use, the port depositing the material from the second launder 52 is operable to cover the entire matrix of sow moulds 28' beneath the gantry 54 by movement of the bridge member 543 along the rails 541 and/or by movement of the trolley 53 across the bridge member 543.

One example of how the casting apparatus 5 may be operated will now be described. Thirty sow moulds 28' were arranged in a matrix of six by five on a factory floor beneath the gantry 54. The first 51 and second 52 launders were heated by gas burners (not shown) to a temperature of approximately 400°C. Heating the launders 51, 52 is advantageous because it prevents the molten material from solidifying before the material has reached the sow moulds 28'.

When the molten material was ready to tap from the furnace 100, the first launder 51 was moved to the first position 51', as indicated by Figures 8 and 9. Simultaneously, the trolley 53 was moved to position the output port of the second launder 52 over the centre of the first sow mould 28' of the matrix, such that the second launder 52 adopted first position 52' and the trolley 53 adopted first position 53'.

The molten material was tapped into the receiving port 511 of the first launder 51 and flowed by gravity to the depositing port 512 over the second launder 52. Advantageously, the profile of the first launder 51 at the material receiving port 511 is wider than the profile of the launder 51 at the depositing port 512 in order to cope with a build up of material from the furnace 100.

The molten material then flowed from the depositing port 512 into the second launder 52, which second launder 52 was located beneath the first launder 51. It is to be appreciated that because the material falls from the first launder 51 to the second launder 52, there is no need to provide a conduit and/or piping and/or insulation (e.g. ceramic foam) between or around the joint because this would hinder the free movement between the launders 51, 52.

The material then flowed along the second launder towards the trolley 53 and passed therethrough into the sow mould 28' located beneath the gantry 54.

As depicted in Figure 12, the gantry 54 comprises a walkway 550 to allow operators to skim the sows as they are poured. Skimming generally consists in removing floating impurities from the sows before they set, so that the surface is as clean as possible.

Once the first mould 28' was full, the drive motors 532, 547 were engaged to move the trolley 53 from the first position 53' to the second position 53" directly above an empty sow mould 28'. In doing so, the second launder 52 pivoted about the pivot point 60 and moved laterally therein to adopt the second position 52". Once all of the moulds 28' were full and the furnace 100 was empty, the first launder 51 was moved from the first 51' to the second 51" position by operating the hydraulic motor 55. This enabled operators to gain unrestricted access to the furnace 100 for maintenance work.

The sow moulds 28' were allowed to cool for approximately four hours whilst the furnace 100 was prepared for the next casting operation. After four hours the moulds 28' were demoulded and the process repeated.

The overall cycle time between casting operations was approximately five hours.

Advantageously, the sows 1000, as shown in Figure 13, were formed without any defects because they were allowed to remain stationary whilst they set.

Further, because there are no moving machinery parts beneath the furnace 100, any material spilt from the furnace 100 does not affect the process. lEn a worst case scenario molten material may be spilt onto the floor, in which case it is picked up once it has solidified.

As will be appreciated, the maintenance of the casting apparatus 5 is low and predictable. Moreover, the apparatus 5 has a low footprint because the moulds 28' can be arranged into a compact array or matrix rather

than a line such as in the prior art.

In this specification, the term industrially casting refers to use of a furnace capable of holding and depositing more than one tonne of molten material, e.g. more than five tonnes of molten material, say 10 or 20 or more tonnes of material.

Claims (25)

1. Claims 1. Apparatus for conveying material from a furnace to a plurality of locations, the apparatus comprising conveying means movable, for example pivotable and/or translatable, to deliver therealong material to the plurality of locations.
2. 2. An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises second conveying means to deliver the material from a furnace to the conveying means.
3. 3. An apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein the second conveying means is located above the conveying means at the point at which the material is passed from the second conveying means to the conveying means.
4. 4. An apparatus according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein, in use, the conveying means moves relative to the second conveying means.
5. 5. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the point at which the material is passed from the second conveying means to the conveying means is coincident with a pivot point.
6. 6. An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the conveying means and/or second conveying means are pivotable about the pivot point.
7. 7. An apparatus according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein, at the pivot point, the apparatus comprises a two-part support.
8. 8. An apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein the first part of the two-part support supports the conveying means and the second part of the two-part support supports the second conveying means.
9. 9. An apparatus according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the first and second parts of the two-part support are pivotable about the pivot point.
10. 10. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein the first and/or second parts of the two-part support comprise guide means.
11. 11. An apparatus according to any preceding Claim, wherein the conveying means is translatable, say across the or a guide means, between a forward position and a rearward position.
12. 12. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 2 to 11, wherein the conveying means and/or second conveying means comprise an incline or sloping portion to encourage the material therewithin to flow from the furnace to the plurality of locations.
13. 13. An apparatus according to Claim 12, wherein the conveying means and/or second conveying means are inclined at an angle of from 0.1° to 4° to the horizontal, more preferably from 0.5° to 3.5° to the horizontal, even more preferable from 2° to 2.5° to the horizontal, e.g. 2.5°.
14. 14. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 2 to 13, wherein the conveying means and/or second conveying means is supported by support means.
15. 15. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 2 to 14, wherein the conveying means and/or second conveying means are heatable.
16. 16. An apparatus according to any preceding Claim further comprising a gantry.
17. 17. An apparatus according to any preceding Claim further comprising deposit means.
18. 18. An apparatus according to Claim 17, wherein the deposit means is movable across the or a gantry.
19. 19. A method of industrially casting molten material, the method comprising melting the material in an industrial furnace, tapping the material from the furnace, conveying the material to a plurality of stationary moulds, allowing or causing the material to cool in the moulds to a solid state whilst the moulds are stationary.
20. 20. A method according to Claim 19 further comprises removing the cooled material from the moulds.
21. 21. A method for conveying material from a furnace to a plurality of locations, the method comprising: * passing material from a furnace to a first conveying means; and * passing the material from the first conveying means to a second conveying means, wherein, the second conveying means is movable relative to the first conveying means to deliver the material passed thereto to a plurality of locations.
22. 22. A sow substantially free from deformities.
23. 23. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to and as shown in Figures 8 to 12.
24. 24. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 8 to 13.
25. 25. A sow substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to and as shown in Figures 12 and 13.