Advantages and Disadvantages of Die Casting

Posted on Dec.14th, , | By Victoria, WayKen Project Manager

For more information, please visit our website.

Die casting is one of the most versatile and prolific metal casting processes, characterized by the use of a mold cavity to apply high pressure to the molten metal. The characteristics of die casting process contribute to design die casting parts to meet the requirements of the die casting process. Now let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of die casting, and the comparison of parts processed by other manufacturing methods.

1.Advantages of Die Casting

• High production efficiency – The production process is easy to mechanize and automate. In general, cold chamber die casting machine is die-casting 50 to 90 times per hour. The hot chamber die casting machine is die-casting 400 to 900 times per hour.
• Excellent dimensional accuracy and smooth cast surfaces – The general tolerance class of die casting parts is IT13~IT15 in GB/T -, and the higher precision can reach IT10~W 1 1. Surface finish (Ra) is 3.2~1.6μm, and locally up to 0.8μ Due to the high dimensional accuracy and high surface finish of die castings, less demanding die castings can be used directly, avoiding machining or less machining, improving the utilization of the alloy and saving a lot of machining costs.
• High mechanical properties of die castings – The metal melt cools quickly in die casting and crystallizes under pressure, so that a layer of crystalline grains near the surface of the die casting is fine and compact. Both strength and hardness are high.
• Die-casting complex thin-walled parts – Die castings can have complex part shapes, the wall thickness of the part can be smaller simultaneously, compared with sand castings and metal mold castings. The minimum wall thickness of aluminum alloy die-casting parts is 0.5mm. The minimum wall thickness of zinc alloy die castings can achieve 0.3mm.
• Parts of other materials can be embedded in die castings – Complex fasteners or inserts can be included in the final component. So it saves valuable materials costs and processing costs. The complex shapes of parts can be obtained and the performance of parts can be improved. Besides, assembly work is reduced.
• Economical and easy for mass production – Durable and dimensionally stable die casting parts can be obtained with specified shapes, so no machining or less machining is required.
• Variety of surface textures – Die casting parts can have many finishing techniques and surfaces. The process is capable of achieving smooth or textured part surfaces.

2.Disadvantages of Die Casting

• Porosity is easily generated in die castings – As the metal melt fills the mold cavity at a very high speed during die casting, as well as the mold material has no gas permeability. Die castings produced by general die casting methods are easily to produce gas cavity. Due to the presence of gas cavity, the die castings cannot be strengthened by heat treatment and used at high temperatures. At the same time, the machining allowance of the parts should not be too large, otherwise the hardened layer on the surface of the die castings will be removed, so that the surface of the die castings will be exposed.
• Not suitable for small batch production – The die casting type is complicated and costly, so it is generally only suitable for large batch production. It’s not economical for small scale production.
• Low die life when die casting high melting point alloy – Some metals (such as copper alloys) have a high melting point, and have high requirements for heat deformation resistance and thermal fatigue strength of die casting materials, the life of the molds is relatively low. At present, the materials of die castings are mainly aluminum alloys, zinc alloys and magnesium alloys, and so on. Ferrous metals are rarely processed by die casting.
• Large capital investment – The casting machines required, the dies and related equipment are very costly, compared to most other casting processes. As a consequence, making die casting an economical process, large batch production is a must.

3.The Unique Advantages of Die Casting

Compared to parts processed by other manufacturing methods, die castings have their unique advantages:

• Compared with sheet metal parts, the part shape of the die casting can be more complicated, the wall thickness of the part can vary. A die-cast part can replace several sheet metal parts, simplifying the product structure.
• Compared to plastic injection molded parts, die casting parts are stronger, harder, more dimensionally stable, more resistant to heat and far superior to plastics in terms of performance and cost. As well die castings are highly durable under load and are completely resistant to UV, weathering and stress cracking in the presence of various agents. The production cycle for producing die casting parts is much faster than for producing plastic injection molded parts. Nevertheless, plastics may be less expensive on a unit volume basis and may have inherent color properties that tend to eliminate finishing, are temperature sensitive, and are good electrical insulators.
• Compared to sand casting parts, die casting parts require less processing. Die casting parts have thinner walls, can be maintained in tighter dimensions, have higher production efficiency for it’s produced in the molds. The surface is smoother and the labor cost is lower. On the other hand, sand castings can be made of ferrous metals and many non-ferrous alloys that are not suitable for die casting. The maximum size can be larger, the tool cost is usually lower, and it’s more economically producing a small amount of parts.
• Compared with machining parts, die casting parts have lighter weight, and are lower in processing cost.

In Conclusion

It is because of the advantages and unique advantages of the above die casting parts that the die casting products are now more and more widely used. It plays an important role in many products such as laptop, mobile , camera, automobile and motorcycle. Among these products, die casting parts appear in front of consumers as fashionable, environment-friendly, humanized and innovative products, and consumers also highly approve of such products. With the development of die casting technology, die casting parts will certainly be more widely used.

The above are the advantages and disadvantages of die casting, I hope to be helpful. WayKen not only offers die casting service to meet your mass production projects, but also are good at rapid injection molding. We encourage you to contact us for a free quotation at [ protected] and we will give you professional services for your next project.

Link to Yuhui

Die casting is a manufacturing process that uses high pressures to force molten metal from a crucible into a metal jacket. The material is then injected through a rod into a preformed mold (die). Once injected, the part is cooled, solidified and removed from the mold. This process is used for both parts and ingots.

The manufactured parts are characterized by high uniformity, good surface finish and high dimensional accuracy. The dimensions of the parts vary depending on the specifications. Weights range from a few grams for the smallest parts to several tons. We can even obtain extremely thin-walled parts. In fact, most of the parts do not need the final machining process or need very light machining.

We have the support of factories equipped with all the necessary tools to obtain the desired product at the best price. Starting with the melting of material, injection, solidification and expulsion of the finished part. In addition, we guarantee that the necessary post-treatments are carried out on the parts.

• High efficiency. Die casting machinery has a high productivity compared to other processes.
• The alloys used in die casting have a long service life, easy to machine and automate.
• Final quality. The dimensional accuracy of the casting is high, generally equivalent to 6 ~ 7, even up to 4.
• Good surface finish, which means that further finishing will not be necessary; lowering prices per part.
• High strength and hardness, generally higher than sand casting by 25 ~ 30%, but extended, the rate is reduced by about 70%.
• This process allows complex thin-walled castings. For example, current zinc alloy castings have a minimum wall thickness of 0.3 mm; aluminum alloy castings up to 0.5 mm; the minimum casting hole diameter is 0.7 mm, and the minimum pitch is 0.75 mm.

• The main disadvantage of die casting is its high cost. Both the necessary casting equipment and the dies and related components are very expensive compared to most other casting processes.
• The process is limited to high-flow metals. Fluidity failures can lead to increased scrap rates, and scrap costs in die casting are high.
• Die casting involves a large number of parts, so repeatability issues are especially important.
• Weights of castings have previously been limited to between 30 grams (1 oz) and 10 kg (20 lb), but as of , parts up to 80 kilograms have become possible.
• In the standard die casting process, the final part will have a small amount of porosity. This prevents any heat treatment or welding, because the heat causes the gas in the pores to expand, leading to micro-cracks inside the part and surface exfoliation. However, some companies have found ways to reduce the porosity of the part, which allows welding and heat treatment to be limited.

Want more information on Die Casting Services? Feel free to contact us.