1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a die casting apparatus, and more specifically to a die casting technique of performing casting by injecting molten metal into a cavity of a mold.
2. Description of Related Art
In a die casting apparatus according to related art, the following technique is adopted: a pump disposed at a molten metal holding furnace and a molten metal feed port of a plunger sleeve are communicated with each other through a connecting pipe; and molten metal drawn by the pump up from the molten metal holding furnace is injected into the plunger sleeve through the connecting pipe (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-66896 (JP 2013-66896 A)).
In the die casting apparatus described in JP 2013-66896 A, the pump is fixed to the molten metal holding furnace. This configuration makes a work space for replacing, for example, a plunger tip or a support shaft narrow, thus hindering the maintenance efficiency.