Are you a beginner in the process of die casting

Are you a beginner in the process of die casting? Here, you will be taught how to effectively implement design tactics in order to achieve optimal manufacturability.

Create something that can be mass-produced.

It is essential, if you want to see a return on your investment, that you optimize the design of your component so that it can benefit from the die casting process. It is important to design your component with the production process in mind, regardless of whether your project will be executed using conventional die casting, multi-slide die casting, or injected metal assembly. This will ensure the best possible outcome. To put it another way, engineers ought to approach each project with the goal of designing for the highest possible level of manufacturability.

Design for manufacturing, also known as DFM, is a core methodology that, when applied to die cast parts, ensures that the parts perform according to specification and reduces the need for secondary operations. It is essential to minimize these operations as much as possible during the design stage given that they can frequently account for as much as 80 percent of the total cost of the component.

Before beginning production on your product, you can cut costs and improve efficiency by using design for manufacturing (DFM), which is more than just an abstract idea. This blog post will guide you through three different ways to design your die cast component to maximize your return on investment (ROI).

Bring down the mass and the wall thickness.

When it comes to die casting, the material and the machine time are two of the most significant drivers of cost. By installing weight-saving pockets and thinning your walls, you can cut down on the amount of either one that is required.

It might appear as though the obvious solution is to cut down on weight and wall thickness in cross sections. When something weighs less, there must be less of it, and when there is less of it, the cost of the material must be lower. It also means that the time needed for solidification is reduced, which results in a greater number of shots being taken per minute. However, there are some businesses that end up compromising on performance in order to save money.

With the performance of the part in mind, it is essential to make a concerted effort to cut down on weight and wall thickness while keeping the strength of the part intact. When you are designing your component, you will need to take into consideration the mechanical and physical requirements of your project in order to select the alloy that is going to be the most appropriate and will function effectively with thin walls.

Aluminum with a thin wall is a good choice, for instance, if the component you're working on needs to be resistant to corrosion and stable. Aluminum is resistant to corrosion and maintains high levels of dimensional stability and hardness throughout its life.

Would you be interested in finding out which alloy is going to work best for your project? Make use of our dynamic metal selector tool to narrow down your options based on the mechanical and physical properties you require!

Keep the wall thickness constant at all times.

Even though we are working to decrease the wall thickness, it is of equal or possibly even greater importance that we maintain uniformity. This will go a long way toward ensuring a casting that is stable and repeatable throughout the manufacturing process, as well as optimized for efficiency.

Porosity can be caused by non-uniform solidification and varying flow pressures, both of which can be caused by walls with varying thicknesses. Die casting allows our engineers at Dynacast to achieve a net-shape component while maintaining a consistent wall thickness. Our engineers have a variety of techniques at their disposal.

You can see in Figure 2 that the component on the left has several walls that are a significant amount thicker than the component's most narrow point. This can be seen in the thinnest part of the component. If it were cast in this manner, the resulting part would be weaker and more porous. Instead, our engineers will core the thicker walls in order to achieve more uniformity and will incorporate ribs in the cores in order to guarantee that the part will have sufficient strength.

Take into account the draught angle as well as the tolerance zones.

When designing your component, it is essential to keep in mind the achievable Draught angles and tolerances for the materials that will be used in your project. Failing to do so may result in delays in the redesigning of the component. Generally speaking, a draught angle of 0.5 degrees is attainable for zinc. Aluminum can reach temperatures between 1o-2o. Zinc can hold exact tolerances of between 0.001 and 0.002 inches, while aluminum can hold tolerances of between 0.002 and 0.004 inches. Tolerances of 0.001 to 0.002 inches are possible for zinc.

If you keep the tolerable range and the achievable Draught angles in mind, you will be in a better position to avoid building in costs that aren't necessary to the design. Too frequently, businesses will request exact tolerances and minimal draught angles, even though neither of these features is necessary to maximize the part's performance in its intended application. Because of this, their castings are unsuccessful.

Instead, you should adopt a strategy that is more holistic in nature for your design. Determine which dimensions of your component are not critical so that you can create tolerance zones that are more forgiving. Allowing for tolerance zones not only makes it simpler to plan the tolerance stack-up of your entire component, but it also helps your tool last longer because there are fewer exact geometries that need to be worn down. This is because there are fewer exact geometries to wear down. This will make it easier for you to avoid machining and secondary operations wherever it is possible, allowing you to make the most of the die casting process by putting your design to work for you.

Work smarter, not harder

Adapting the design of your component so that it can benefit from the die casting process not only enables you to take full advantage of the efficiencies offered by die casting, but it may also better meet the requirements of your company.