Melt delivery system

Abstract

Melt delivery system and method including a first melting chamber and a laterally adjacent second melt pour chamber arranged side-by-side to one another with a suitable isolation valve therebetween. A melting/melt delivery system is includes a transport mechanism having a horizontally translatable carriage disposed on a carriage support frame. A shaft mechanism is disposed on the carriage for rotation relative thereto and for carrying a melting vessel in a manner that the melt-filled vessel can be horizontally translated from the melting chamber where a charge is melted in the vessel to the adjacent mold pour chamber where the melt is poured into a casting mold or vessel by rotation of the shaft mechanism. The carriage is translated by an actuator on the carriage support frame, and the shaft mechanism is independently rotated by an actuator on the carriage. The carriage support frame carries a sealing door disposed about the shaft mechanism to mate with the melting chamber to seal it from ambient atmosphere during vacuum melting of the charge in the melting vessel and translation of the melting vessel to the pour chamber.