Die-casting is a process utilized in many industries to make high-quality parts that have tight tolerances and a precise finish on the surface. When designing a piece to be made by a die-casting method there are a variety of factors to be considered so that the component is fabricated successfully.
Basic Manufacturing Considerations
Draft – The die used for a die-cast piece should be designed in a way that the piece is easily removed from the mold when the casting process has completed and been cooled. The draft is a small angle that is built into the vertical surfaces of the die, to permit easier expulsion of the part out of the die following the Manufacturer For Casting Parts process. Draft angles ranging from 1o to 3o are standard.
Fillet – A Fillet is a radius around the point in which two surfaces meet instead of having a sharp edge. A fillet inside reduces the strains that happen at that point when the component is bent or stretched. An external fillet radius can be employed to reduce sharp edges.
Undercuts – An undercut is a feature of a die-cast piece that keeps the part from being removed out of the die after casting. Designing with an undercut needs complicated dies that have removable slides in order for the part to be removed following casting. It is usually cheaper to design the part in a way to avoid cuttings.
Mold Components
In order to make different design elements in the die-cast component, many elements are utilized inside the mold. The die could also have removable slides or other parts that create a piece that has recesses, undercuts, or even cores. The use of these elements adds complexity to the mold design as well as the casting process, however, the use of these components generally leads to lesser alloys of metal being used and higher tolerances across the component. A few of the mold components are:
Core – A Core is circular or any other shape segment or pin used to form an opening in a made piece. Cores can be moved or fixed, based on the shape of the component to be cast.
Slides – Slides are an element of a mold that can be utilized to create voids and undercuts in the parts that are being made. Slides are generally integrated parallel to the die-cutting axis. These components may be intricate and allow parts with design elements like threads to be designed into parts.
Insert – A complicated part is possible to create with an insert component that is inserted into the mold before casting. Inserts are enclosed within the die-cast piece and are then incorporated into the final product. Additional mold designs are the positioning of gates to allow the circulation of metal that is molten and the addition of water lines to cool the casting process. Although these design considerations do not influence designing the end component they are essential components of the design process. Website: www.hulkmetal.com
Post-Machining
Based on the design, it is possible to do post-machining on die-cast components instead of trying to design the part to fit into the component. For instance, it might be more convenient to tap and drill into a hole rather than designing the threaded hole in the mold’s design. This reduces the complexity of die-casting molds and the process making it easier to save time and money when manufacturing. Die-casting requires unique factors to be considered during planning the process. These requirements can be addressed by the use of certain design elements on the mold and also custom components.
