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Casting
Page 9-1
Section Nine: Casting With
Your J-2
r
Each day, before starting your J-2
r
, go through
the following checklist to ensure both operator
safety and successful castings.
Important! Be sure you read and understand
all safety precautions before operating the
machine.
Start-Up Checklist
1. Disconnect the thermocouple, then remove
the crucible chamber hood and inspect the
sealing ball, sealing rod, and stirring rod
for wear. Replace if needed.
2. Remove the filling cone, crucible, crucible
bottom gasket, and crucible stand.
3. Vacuum-clean the bottom of the crucible
chamber. Inspect the coil area for metal
pieces or worn spots. Remove all metal
pieces and repair worn spots with IZ-100
high temperature cement.
4. Inspect crucible stand for wear or
contamination. Replace if necessary.
5. Replace crucible gasket with a new one
if it is not uniformly black.
6. Inspect the crucible for wear, damage, or
contamination. Replace it if necessary. If the
crucible is in good condition, wipe it clean
and place it in the crucible chamber.
7. Inspect filling cone for wear. Replace
if necessary.
8. Re-install hood on crucible chamber.
9. Reset sealing rod tension.
Important! Do not rotate the sealing rod
and ball until the crucible chamber has been
pre-heated. If there is solidified metal left
on the sealing ball, it can score the crucible
seat, causing leakage.
10. Re-connect the thermocouple. Make sure
the thermocouple is seated all the way
down inside the sealing rod and is making
contact at the bottom.
11. Check the inert gas (nitrogen or argon) tank.
Replace tank if it is low or empty.
12. Check your vacuum pump oil level. Add oil if
needed.
Starting the J-2
r
1. Plug the machine in.
2. Set the regulator on your inert gas
(nitrogen or argon) tank to 0.1 bar (10psi).
3. Turn the machine on with the on/off switch.
Please Note: When the machine is on, you
will hear or see the cooling fan running
and the temperature control panel lights
should go on. The coil on light near the on/
off switch will cycle on and off as power is
applied to the heating coil.
Important! When the machine is heated for
the first time with new parts installed, you
may notice smoke and an odor of scorching.
This is normal.
4. Set the temperature controller to the
desired casting temperature. See Section 8
for information on using and adjusting the
temperature controller.
5. Set the inert gas flow meter on the machine
for 6–8 liters per minute. In general, more
gas is better—especially with larger metal
loads and larger flask sizes.
