What Is Aluminum Die Casting? – Technology Org

Aluminum is known for being easily molded and for high resistance to corrosion. In addition, it has excellent stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio that makes it a fantastic metal to be used in agricultural equipment, automotive parts, aircraft components, building structures, kitchen utensils, and more.

Cast aluminum parts – illustrative photo. Image credit: Bjorn Agerbeek via Unsplash, free license

Not to mention, its silvery-white physical characteristics make it even more appealing to be used in everyday items and even for decorative purposes. And a professional aluminum die casting manufacturer ensures that the quality isn’t compromised at all costs and that all the stages of production are carried out smoothly and efficiently.

In this article, we’ll shed light on what aluminum die casting is, its benefits, and its industrial uses.

What Is Aluminum Die Casting Process?

The aluminum die casting process allows manufacturers to produce complex aluminum parts with the help of machines and little labor work.

The blocks of aluminum are heated to a point where they are completely melted in an open holding pot that’s kept in a furnace. Liquid aluminum, which is poured into the pre-shaped mold cavity, lets you shape it in whatever form you like to help you get the required metal parts shape.

Remember that the open holding pot is set apart from the die casting machine. Otherwise, the extremely hot molten metal can damage the normal pumping system of the machine.

With the casting process, one can make tens of thousands of castings in one go using the steel mold. The die is poured separately into two molds to create two die halves and is allowed to solidify quickly.

Once the process is completed, you will get a finished aluminum part with a generally smooth surface. However, little machining may still be required for surface finishing as the surface may still have a few imperfections.

Sanding, drill tapping, sandblasting, shot peening, and orbital sanding are usually some of the methods implemented to improve the surface and overall look of the finished aluminum parts before sending them off for quality control inspections and then to the customers.

What Are the Benefits of Aluminum Die Casting?

There are a plethora of reasons why aluminum die casting is preferred by manufacturers around the world over other metal-forming processes. Let’s take a look at some of its benefits.

Design

No matter what form, size, or shape you want to create with aluminum, you can easily do that through die casting. From small and simple parts for everyday use to massive and complex automotive parts, it can manufacture any design or size with precision.

Since it can also be assembled, disassembled, and reprocessed in a breeze, manufacturers have higher expectations with aluminum die casting.

Cost

The aluminum casting process is quite cost-effective compared to other processes, which is why many manufacturers prioritize it.

As you can quickly produce lots of parts in one go and don’t have to complete the product yourself, it saves a lot of time, effort, and cost.

Versatility

Manufacturers can think of any size or shape of the final aluminum product they want to achieve and can turn this into a reality with the efficiency of aluminum die casting processes.

Appearance

Although aluminum is lightweight, if the part is designed correctly, it has the strength of steel, which makes it extremely durable and easy to use.

With all this, aluminum doesn’t let you compromise on the aesthetic appeal of the final product. Usually, aluminum parts don’t require to be seen, but even if they do, you don’t have to worry about the appearance.

Rate of Manufacturing

With an increased demand for durable, high-quality metal parts, aluminum is the best choice for producers. You can manufacture a lot of aluminum parts at a time without compromising on the quality that allows you to meet the soaring demands in the market while boosting profit margins.   

Other Remarkable Advantages  

It’s essential to note that aluminum die castings can be recycled and reused in the manufacturing process, which can significantly boost production rate and cost efficiency during production.

Furthermore, aluminum casting lets you achieve flawless designs for two built parts smoothly.   

Industrial Use of Aluminum Casting

With so many benefits aluminum casting has to offer to engineers, designers, and even manufacturers, aluminum casting has several uses in the industrial area.

• Aircraft components – Most of the structure of an airplane depends on aluminum parts, so the aircraft industry heavily depends on aluminum casting.
• Automotive – Aluminum cast parts such as transmission parts, oil pumps, connectors, and different kinds of brackets are used in the automotive industry.
• Lighting – Cost-effective and easy production, excellent resilience, and lightweight products make aluminum casting ideal for lighting items.
• Agricultural equipment ­– From gearboxes to motor housings, aluminum casting provides high-strength and stable cast parts for use in the agricultural industry.
• Golf products – Most high-quality golf products include handles, golf clubs, brackets, and golf ball warmers.
• Military – With precision engineering, fire suppression housing and missile nose pieces are the main military components requiring aluminum casting.
• Brackets – Brackets are manufactured for appliances for home use as well as for heavy-duty equipment to be used in the industries.
• Heat sinks – For electronic applications, aluminum cast heat sinks, along with cooling fins, are produced with great efficiency.

Enclosures – Aluminum casting protects sensitive electronics while withstanding any kind of conditions in any environment.