On the North American Die Casting Association’s website, the association says that metal casting is America’s most fundamental industry. Is this true? Should you take a metalworking association’s word for that kind of statement? I think it’s impossible to evaluate one sector of the economy as “most fundamental,” but they’re certainly right that Continue reading
There are a lot of ways to make a metal part. This is because the need for metal parts is varied. That need is varied in terms of the nature of demand for different kinds of metal parts and in terms of the amount of parts that different buyers may need. Different processes lend themselves more or less than other processes to large batch sizes or small batch sizes, profile complexity or Continue reading
In a 1988 paper released by NASA and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Soil Transport Implement, researchers presented an outline for the design of a component that would protect a vehicle that was being designed for moon expeditions. At that point in NASA’s history, the moon landing was becoming a Continue reading
If you were to do a Google image search for “die cast,” you might be surprised by the search results. Instead of cast aluminum intake manifolds, cast zinc faucets or industrial magnesium castings, you’re more likely to see a thousand miniature models of cars, trucks, airplanes, helicopters and even action figures. That’s the difficulty with searching for products on the Internet; it can be hard to know how to ask Google for the results you’re looking for, and it can be even more difficult to sort through Continue reading
Die castings image courtesy of Crown Die Casting Corporation.
Die casters fill an important role in industry, and it’s a role that can’t be undertaken by just anyone. While the process of shaping raw metal into a usable product may seem simple, in reality it’s very complicated and often can be very expensive. Especially considering the fact that people’s safety often relies on the integrity of die cast products, such as in the case of cast automotive or aircraft components, die casting isn’t a task to leave to amateurs. Proper die casting operations are staffed by Continue reading
Die castings image courtesy of A&B Die Casting.
Die casting professionals need access to a wide variety of casting materials in order to meet the varied needs of their customers. Patrons of die casting facilities could come to those companies with the need for light-weight materials, materials with RFI or EMI shielding qualities, materials that are highly ductile, materials that have high-strength to weight ratios and all kinds of other specific material quality requirements. In order to respond to the diverse needs of their customers, die casting service personnel need to Continue reading
Magnesium is an important casting material for a number of reasons. Magnesium, as a casting material, is characterized by a number of very favorable qualities. Magnesium is a comparatively low-density metal, which means that it can be used to create low-weight castings. Also, magnesium is resistant to corrosion, which means that castings made of magnesium alloys can sometimes be used in contexts where they will be exposed to Continue reading
Prototyping is an important part of the die casting process, and the most successful die casting operations will combine state of the art equipment with highly knowledgeable and imaginative engineers. Die casting is, after all, a customer-centric metal forming process. If an engineer can’t help a customer realize his or her vision, then there is no point in trying to undertake a project. Die casting design is one of the essential parts Continue reading
Die casting is an important and popular metalworking process, but it poses a few challenges to its users. Just so we’re all on the same page, let’s quickly review some of the basics of the process. Die casting is the process by which a shot of molten, non-ferrous metal is directed into a specially-designed die in order to give the metal a shape. This is accomplished by forcing the metal into the die with a piston, which also causes the molten material to become pressurized. This forces the metal to adhere closely to the contours of the die, ensuring the Continue reading
Professionals in the metalworking industry have found a lot of creative ways to take advantage of the metallurgical properties of the metals they work with. Today’s state of the art is the culmination of hundreds of years of studying the properties of metals and finding new and innovative ways to shape and form them into useful products. Die casting is one of the products of that process. Just as a recap, die casting is the process by which a shot of molten, nonferrous metal, such as zinc, copper, lead, aluminum or other metals, is inserted into a cavity. That molten metal is then forced into a specially-designed die by a piston that also causes the metal Continue reading