Die Casting

DIn our production area we have 8 die casting machines. 3 of them hot chamber and 5 are cold chamber die casting machines.

ie casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mold during the process.

The Components of The Hot Chamber Die CastingMachine. The injection mechanism of a hot chambermachine is immersed in the molten metal. The furnace is attached to the machine by a metal feed system called a gooseneck. The die is closed and the piston rises, opening the port, allowing molten metal to fill the cylinder.

Operating sequence of the cold chamber die casting process. The die is closed and the molten metal is ladled into the cold chamber shot sleeve. The plunger pushes the molten metal into the die cavity where it is held under pressure until it solidifies.

Die casting is one of the most versatile and prolific metalworking processes, creating countless varieties of parts used in almost every industry imaginable.  Interestingly enough, it dates back to the mid 1800’s, and today, innovations keep it moving forward.

Here is a bullet list of die cast advantages and why a designer would want to design his product as a die casting:

• Die casting provides complex shapes within closer tolerances than many other mass production processes.
• Die Castings are produced at high rates of production. Little or no machining is required.
• Die casting provides parts which are durable, dimensionally stable, and have the feel and appearance of quality.
• Die castings can be produced with thinner walls than those obtainable by other casting methods and much stronger than plastic injection moldings with the same dimensions.
• Die casting dies can produce thousands of identical castings within specified tolerances before additional tooling may be required.
• Zinc castings can be easily plated or finished with a minimum of surface preparation.
• Die castings can be produced with surfaces simulating a wide variety of textures.
• Die cast surfaces, as cast, are smoother than most other forms of casting such as sand, permanent mold, and investment processes.
• Holes in die castings can be cored, and made to tap drill sizes.
• External threads on parts can be readily die cast.
• Die castings provide integral fastening elements, such as bosses and studs, which can result in assembly economies.
• Inserts of other metals and some non-metals can be die cast in place.
• Corrosion resistance of die casting alloys rates from good to high.
• Die castings are monolithic.  They combine many functions in one, complex shaped part.  Because die castings do not consist of separate parts, welded or fastened together, the strength is that of the material, not that of threads or welds.