Aluminum die casting is very common in many industries because it is efficient and can produce high-quality parts. The system is not overly complicated, and once a part is put into production, the speed and accuracy that it can be reproduced at can often save a lot of time and money for a business. 

Creating The Die

Before any aluminum die casting can start, a die must be created. Most casting dies are made from tool steel and are made using a CAD (computer-aided drafting) program that the operator can load into a CNC machine. The CNC (computer numerical control) machine will plot all the points and cut away all the material to form the two sides of the dies used in the casting process. 

The die is then tested and may need to be adjusted several times until the casting is perfect. Once the die is ready, it is installed in a casting press and can be used to produce many parts over the lifetime of the die. If the die is damaged, a new one can be created using the CAD program, and then a technician can replace the damaged die with a new piece. 

Casting Parts

Once the die is in the press, the aluminum die casting process can begin. The die is coated with a lubricant that acts as a release agent and helps to control the temperature inside the die. Once the two halves of the die are closed and secured, molten aluminum is pumped into the die, and then pressure is maintained inside until the aluminum cools.

Once the temp is low enough, the die is opened, and the part can be ejected and sent to processing to be cleaned, inspected, and finished. Most aluminum die casting operations will recycle any scrap from the process and reuse it to mold more parts. The scrap can be mixed in with the molten aluminum if it is pure and easily melted into the batch. 

A properly made die will not leave much extra material on the part, but if something happened in casting, a part might be scrap, and more often than not, this is the material that is recycled. 

Finishing The Parts

Once the casting is complete, the part may have some small ridges on it or need to be smoothed up in a couple of places. Once the part has been through processing, an inspector will look at it to ensure defective parts don't go out the door. The aluminum die casting process takes a little time, but once the die is created and the casting begins, the same part can be made thousands of times precisely the same way each time.

For more information, contact a company like American Die Casting, Inc.