DC casting of aluminium alloys - Past, present and future

The principles of D.C. casting of aluminium alloys were invented in 1936. Due to the importance of this process to the industry for the fabrication of semi-finished products intensive development work has taken place over the last 30 years. Increasing demands on ingot quality necessitated the development of innovative casting technologies. This has led, for example, to the introduction of air-assisted hot top moulds for the casting of extrusion ingots and electro-magnetic moulds for the casting of rolling ingots. Further techniques and tools were also developed to optimize the use of modern mould techniques and to increase the safety and reliability of the D.C. casting process. A review will be given of the history of D.C. casting and the state of the art of the process concerning casting technologies and ingot quality. Finally, future development trends and challenges will be discussed.