Ingot casting machines

Claim 1

AN INGOT CASTING MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE, A VERTICAL SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE, A HORIZONTAL TURNTABLE CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT, MEANS TO ROTATE SAID TURNTABLE, A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY DISPOSED INGOT MOLDS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID TURNTABLE FOR MOVEMENT FROM AN UPRIGHT MOLD FILLING POSITION TO AN INVERTED INGOT DISCHARGE POSITION, MEANS INCLUDING A STEEL TUBE EMBEDDED IN A WALL OF EACH MOLD FOR CIRCULATING A COOLING MEDIUM, MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY FILLING SAID MOLDS WITH MOLTEN METAL DURING CONTINUOUS ROTATION OF SAID TABLE AND COMPRISING A LAUNDER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS AND WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID LAUNDER DISPOSED ABOVE THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID MOLDS, MEANS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN METAL TO SAID LAUNDER INCLUDING A PUMP HAVING A PORTION THEREOF IMMERSED IN A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL, A POWER OPERATED VALVE FOR CONTROLLING FLOW OF METAL FROM SAID BATH TO SAID PUMP, AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING OPERATION OF SAID PUMP WHEN THE METAL IN SAID BATH REACHES A PREDETERMINED LOW LEVEL, AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING PIN ON SAID TURNTABLE ADJACENT EACH MOLD, AN ARM PROJECTING FROM SAID LAUNDER IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PIN, MEANS FOR BIASING SAID LAUNDER TO AN INITIAL MOLD FILLING POSITION, WHEREBY UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID TURNTABLE A PIN WILL ENGAGE SAID ARM AND MOVE SAID LAUNDER AND MAINTAIN THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID LAUNDER ABOVE A MOLD UNTIL FILLING THEREOF IS COMPLETED WHEREUPON SAID ARM WILL DISENGAGE FROM THE PIN AND PERMIT SAID LAUNDER TO RETURN TO INITIAL POSITION, AUTOMATIC MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FEED OF METAL TO SAID LAUNDER TO FILL EACH MOLD TO THE DESIRED DEPGH, SAID AUTOMATIC MEANS INCLUDING SOLENOID VALVES FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID PUMP AND SAID VALVE, A REDUCING ALVE CONTROLLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LEVEL OF METAL IN SAID BATH TO IN TURN CONTROL THE OPERATING PRESSURE OF SAID PUMP, A NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH IN SERIES WITH A NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID SOLENOID VALVES, CAM MEANS ON SAID TURNTABLE FOR CLOSING SAID NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH WHEN A MOLD IS IN POSITION TO BE FILLED, AND MEANS PROJECTING INTO THE MOLD BEING FILLED AND CONNECTED TO SAID NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH TO OPEN THE SAME WHE THE METAL IN THE MOLD BEING FILLED REACHES A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND MEANS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID TURNTABLE FOR SUCCESSIVELY INVERTING SAID MOLDS TO DISCHARGE INGOTS THEREFROM AND FOR RETURNING SAID MOLDS TO FILLING POSITION.