Non-ferrous castings made by Die Casting (also known as Permanent Mould Casting) are commonly made from aluminum, zinc, and bronze alloys, but other metals can also be cast. Here are the top ten suggestions for creating casting geometry that is free of issues.
Create a product that meets your specific needs. Metal usage and weight are both increased and fill and cooling periods are lengthened when the wall sections are too thick. Be aware, however, that the minimum wall thickness is 3mm and may need to be more depending on the section area.
Avoid putting too much weight on a single part. Shrinkage defects, such as internal tears, and stress concentrations can occur when metal flow is restricted in these areas. Be cautious that pockets can generate shrinkage irregularities when making cross sections thinner. Read more: The die casting process is one of the most cost-effective and time-efficient options available when it comes to forming.
Strengthen your body by adding ribs to it. Ribs can be used to strengthen thin walls, regulate the thermal profile, increase metal flow, and strengthen ejector pin positions, all while reducing weight throughout the component.
Die casting with the aid of a draft. Draft is the modest taper introduced on the cavity sides to help the casting be released from the mold. A 2° draft angle is required for aluminum box sections perpendicular or parallel to the separating plane or slide interfaces.
Think about how die release will be affected by shrinking. After cooling to room temperature, cast metals tend to shrink toward the center. Internal portions of the die tend to become stuck, preventing components from being released from the die. Avoid shrinkage locking by increasing the draft in the area where it is most prone to occur.
Sections should be changed in a steady, progressive manner. Section modifications should be kept to a minimum. Blend sections with taper to reduce stress concentrations and allow portions to be fed without producing turbulence in the metal flow when they cannot be avoided.
Sharp angles can cause cooling issues, so be careful of this. High thermal gradients result from sharp angles because heat dissipation is impeded. Sharp re-entrant angles generate hot spots in the same way. Shrinkage tears and distortion faults can be caused by different cooling rates generated by corners.
Avoid high mass concentrations by concentrating on connection design. L, T, X and Y connection sections all have larger volumes of metal because of their unique geometry. Differential solidification and localized flaws or faults are possible as a result of hot-spots. By modifying the joint configuration slightly, Design Engineers can avoid potential casting material flow difficulties.
Then add Radii and Fillets: Design engineers utilize fillets (rounded internal corners) and external radii (rounded exterior corners) to reinforce corner sections and optimize metal flow. In order to maintain a consistent section thickness, fillets and radii should always be used together.
Positioning of the Parting Line. When the two halves of a die come together, the parting line is the point where they meet. For the most part, it's best to keep your parting line straight or flat. An important consideration when deciding where to place the parting line is the component geometry, as well as considerations such as undercuts, drafts, flash, flatness, and dimensional stability all need to be taken into account when making this choice.