Development of horizontal reheating system for semi-solid die casting and its microstructure evaluation

The parts manufactured by die casting process usually contain liquid segregation and porosities. To solve these problems, the semi-solid forming process has been applied. The process enables material in the semi-solid state to be completely filled, and parts with the complicated shape to be fabricated by applying relatively low pressure. This process is necessary in order to control the microstructure of the billet as well as to achieve the desired semi-solid billet state. In this study, a horizontal high-frequency induction heating device which can be fabricated by semi-solid forming irrespective of a billet's size was developed. A globular structure of the reheated billet and a billet's temperature distribution during the reheating process for A356 were investigated.