Few Things That You Need to Consider During Part Design

It becomes very much important to consider which manufacturing process you’ll use to produce an aluminum part while you are on your way to design it. You will come across different methods for forming aluminum, and aluminum die casting is one such option that designers consider.

For many automotive, industrial, and telecommunications products, metal die casting is the method of preference. It can even be used to produce lighting and electrical and hydraulic components.

While designing the part for casting there are a few considerations that you need to take into account.

Firstly, the mold should be designed in a way so that the solidified aluminum part can easily come out. A parting line is a line where the two halves of the mold come apart and you must consider it in the early stages of die design.

The location of injection points is another important consideration. There is the possibility of designing the die with several injection points but only when the molten metal solidifies before reaching every crevice in the die. This even helps if cavities are included in the design as you can surround them with the help of aluminum and still can get the part when the mold is separated.

The thickness of the part’s walls needs to be considered by the metal die casting supplier. For a minimum wall thickness, there are no guidelines given and it is all because of recent technology developments, but walls that have consistent thickness are highly preferred.

Different Options for Machining and Finishing

Minimal machining is generally required by die-cast aluminum arts, and there are various options available for surface finishing. Die casting has a very good surface finish but there is still the possibility of having imperfections, like metal seams. But you can address a rough surface or other imperfections with the help of sanding, sandblasting, or orbital sanding.

To improve fatigue resistance, the cold working process of shot peening is used on die-cast aluminum. To the finished part you can also apply protective or decorative coating such as a powder coat. After casting a few other types, the metal die casting company makes use of modifications such as drill tapping.

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The Process of Metal Parts Casting You Must Know About

Hot chamber die casting

During the process of hot chamber Metal Die Casting, the metal die casting machine contains the necessary equipment required for heating the metal to a molten state. As it is a self-contained system, it is much faster than the alternative but it is only suitable for a selection of casting materials, which includes zinc, tin, and lead alloys.

Cold chamber die casting

The cold chamber die casting process may need to use a separate furnace to heat the metal. This slows down the process, as the molten metal can be brought to the die casting machine with the help of a ladle. However, because a separate furnace is much more powerful than a hot chamber die casting machine, metals with high melting points can be cast. For aluminum casting, this method is suitable and is preferred by Metal Die Casting Company.

The metal die casting process typically proceeds as follows regardless of whether a hot chamber or cold chamber machine is used:

• Shakeout
• Filling
• Ejection

Mold preparation

During mold preparation, the interior surfaces of the two die halves have to be coated with a lubricant so that it can facilitate ejection once the castings are complete. With locking pins, the die halves can then be closed and secured.

Using a pressure system, the filling of the mold can be achieved. In both cases, the result is a molten metal that is being forced into the mold cavity via the sprue. In a hot chamber, high pressures up to 35 megapascals and in a cold chamber 140 megapascals make sure of a fast and comprehensive filling, which in turn leads to consistent cooling that prevents uneven shrinkage and consequent part deformation. During cooling, pressure is highly maintained. 

The two die halves are then opened and to remove the castings the ejector pins are used. Typically, the dies are then immediately re-closed and then they are ready for the next shot. Meanwhile, the finished castings are ready for the next shakeouts which are then supplied by a Metal Die Casting Supplier. It includes removing scrap sections of the shot such as sprues, runners, and flash (seepage of material at the parting line). Using manual tools, tumbling, or with a hydraulic trim die this material removal can be achieved.

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How to Select Your Die Cast Metal

While making metal parts you will come across many metal die casting options. In your industry, if you are researching for a product using die casting then you must be thinking about which metals will be best for you.

Various Types of Die-Cast Metal

When it comes to dying casting the alloys that you must consider are aluminum, magnesium, and zinc. Lead copper, brass, and tin are few other metals that you can use for die casting. However, these alloys are not so common, especially in the die casting industry. Every alloy exhibits different properties and they have different advantages and disadvantages and these factors make them appropriate for different types of applications.

How to Select Your Die-Cast Metal

As it is visible and said by metal die casting companies that for different metals different applications are better suited, and the metal that should be the main one in your die-cast parts is very much specific to your product and your industry.

You will go for aluminum alloy in your die cast part if your highest priority is the ability to withstand high temperatures. But you should keep in your mind that aluminum can be die-casted with a cold chamber machine. There are different other alloys, like zinc or magnesium that work out well with hot or cold chamber machines. In the selection of a die-cast vendor, this distinction is very much important, as you’ll need to look for their available equipment.

You should go for magnesium if a lightweight part is your highest priority as it is extremely light.

You must go for zinc alloys if your top priorities are ease of casting, economy, and a great-looking final product as it casts very simply, still have good strength, hardness, and dimensional stability and these are quite easy on your dies, which provides a longer life when compared to aluminum alloys.

Metal die casting manufacturer considers stainless steel and nickel alloys if corrosion resistance is your number-one requirement as these are a specialty process along with providing limited capacity. Go with brass which is another special alloy if you give priority to high electrical and thermal conductivity, strength, and wear resistance.

Learn The Process of High-pressure die-casting

Metal die casting tells you about the process of forcing molten metals into machined mold cavities to produce metal parts under high pressure. The die casting method is suited for applications where large quantities of small-to-medium-sized parts are required with good detail, fine surface quality, and dimensional consistency. From non-ferrous metals more specifically from zinc and aluminum maximum die castings are prepared.

High-pressure die-casting is a process in which multiple reusable molds over short cycle times the liquid metal is pressed.

The action of the filing will not affect the weight unlike other casting methods as a result the casting process takes place due to high-speed fluid flows, and this kinetic energy is then converted into heat and pressure energy by the end of this process.

Accordingly, by using this die-casting method and metal die casting supplier, high-precision, as well as thin-walled high-quality castings with sharp corners or edges, are produced under special conditions.

Maximum nonferrous alloys processed by die-casting usually consist of zinc, aluminum, and magnesium. The die-casting is under high thermal and mechanical stresses during the injection of aluminum into a mold.

By change in temperature thermal stress is created, which in the structure of the mold material may cause damage over time. This type of damage occurs because of the change in temperature, which appears as tiny cracks in the outer surface. However deep cracks gradually grow and create cracks as gaps. In the die-casting mold lifetime, the damage caused by cracks plays is crucial. Therefore, high-temperature stability and no impulsive failure must be present in the material that is chosen for use in the mold by the metal die casting company.

Along with steel, super alloys are another class of materials that can be used for die-casting molds which at room temperature and high temperatures are complex materials that can retain some of their mechanical and physical properties. High-pressure die-casting is a process in which multiple reusable molds over short cycle times the liquid metal is pressed. In aluminum die-casting dies the major issue with super alloys is thermal fatigue, which is a primary reason for failure.