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Why Die Casting?

Die casting provides parts which are have the accuracy and detail of
plastic injection moldings but with the superior physical properties of
metal. In summary die casting oers these advantages:
Cost eective piece price compared with machining
Production lead time short
Casting process ensures consistent quality
Complex net-shapes can be cast
Parts have better rigidity and the look and feel of metal
Meet moderate to high-strength performance needs
Moderate to high impact and dent resistance
Excellent sound damping properties
Inherent EMI shielding
Good pressure tightness
Accepts high quality surface finishes - painting plating or anodizing
Recyclable

The Die Casting Process

In the die casting process, molten aluminum or zinc is injected at high velocity and pressure into the
cavity of a mold. Typical pressures used vary between 2,000 and 8,000 psi. The die fills very quickly
(milliseconds to 1/4 second). The metal flow is atomized at the narrow section entering the die
(gate). This ensures that the die is filled completely before the metal freezes. To help with filling and
to ensure that any entrained air is removed from the part overflows are often added to the outside of
the part The whole assembly of part, overflows, runner and "plug" is known as the "shot."
An example is the high end electrical connector:

Tooling
Tooling costs for die casting are relatively high, being comparable with plastic injection molding.
However, this is matched by the relatively lower cost of the castings compared with other casting
methods. Often the need for machining is also eliminated. SciCast has developed programs that can
reduce these costs significantly.

Die Casting Characteristics

The die casting process produces a very dierent result from machining. This is due to the die
requirements (part has to be capable of being removed from the die after casting) and process
(injection of molten metal into a die).

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When the two halves of the die open the part must be capable of being ejected easily. For this to
happen the part must have "draft." Draft is the small angle, usually 1 - 3, to the perpendicular from
the parting line. This line will be visible on the finished casting, unless it is removed by subsequent
operations.

There will also be visible evidence of where the ejector pins were located. This can be arranged to be
either above or below the surface.

Die Casting Properties

As the molten metal is injected into the die it pushes the air out. Ideally all air is pushed out ahead of
the metal, but in practice some air is entrained in the metal. The use of overflows helps remove
metal with entrained air to regions outside the part.
The first metal to coat the inside of the die freezes rapidy forming a homogenous skin. The last
areas of the cavity to fill and solidify (usually thicker sections) will exhibit the poorest quality and
usually contain porosity. As these sections cool they contract and form bubbles of vacuum porosity.
Cooling the tool can move this porosity to other regions.
Careful control of the process minimizes these problems, by squeezing extra metal into the die at
the end of the fill cycle, as the metal cools and contracts (intensification).

Casting Alloys
The most common alloys used in die casting are aluminum and zinc. These alloys are specially
formulated for the die casting process.

Zinc
Conventional die cast zinc is known as Zamak (an acronym for the alloy of zinc, aluminum,
magnesium and copper). The aluminum (4%) gives the alloy its mechanical properties. Copper
increases the strength and hardness and magnesium overcomes the eects of other impurities.
Zinc is cast in the hot chamber machine which runs faster than the cold chamber machine, reducing
the process cost.
Zinc is much easier to cast since it does not attack steel and combined with the lower casting
temperature 760F this reduces die wear resulting in long die life.

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After casting, zinc continues to shrink over a period of years (aging). Almost all of this shrinkage
.0005in/in occurs in the first 5 weeks. Total shrinkage is .0007in/in.

Aluminum
Die cast aluminum is basically an alloy of aluminum and silicon. The silicon helps with the fluidity of
the alloy because of its high latent heat of crystallization. As the silicon solidifies it releases a large
amount of heat, keeping the aluminum liquid, delaying solidification while the aluminum fills the
mold. Two other elements are included; copper and magnesium. Copper improves mechanical
properties and hardness, but reduces corrosion resistance. Magnesium at low levels contributes to
mechanical strength and hardness. Small amounts of iron, manganese and zinc are also present.
Aluminum is cast in a cold chamber machine and therefore has a higher produce cost. It is the lowest
cost per cubic inch however due to its low density.
The higher casting temperature of aluminum and its tendency to attack the tool steel results in a
shorter die life than with zinc.

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