An Overview of Pressure Die Casting

Published - 16th Sep 2020

The process of die casting was first conceived in the 1800’s. Over the past two centuries the process has undergone significant development and, today, is the manufacturing method of choice for myriad products used in a wide range of applications. Pressure die casting lends itself extremely well to mass-production and is used to manufacture all kinds of items that we rely on in our daily lives from parts of motor vehicles to children’s toys.

What is pressure die casting?

Pressure die casting is a reliable, quick and cost-effective manufacturing method for high volume metal components. The process works by injecting molten metal alloy under high pressure into a tool. As the metal solidifies, it forms a net-shaped component which is ejected from the tooling.

This is established in 4 basic steps:

1. Die preparation, a die lubricant is sprayed into the cavity to ease the removal of the casting from the tool.
2. Injection, the molten metal is injected into the moulds at high pressure and velocity. Tool clamping pressures of between 4,000 and 50,000 psi, are used to hold the two die halves in place.
3. Ejection, is when the molten metal has solidified and the newly cast component can be released from the mould.
4. Casting, fettling and cleaning. Cast parts include a runner system and excess overshot material, these are removed by cropping in bespoke tools and subsequently hand fettled to remove flash and excess material. Finished fettled castings can then be surface finished by bead blasting to enhance the appearance.

Advantages of Pressure Die Casting

• Economical – high part run rate per tool, long tooling life and low unit cost.
• Casting with close dimensional control and provides excellent repeatability.
• Ability to cast thin wall sections.
• High-speed production.
• Multiple finishing techniques.

Common materials used in pressure die casting

Pressure die casting can be used with multiple non-ferrous material types, the most common types are: aluminium, magnesium, copper and zinc.

Here at Investacast, we can offer a wide range of different casting materials, some of the most commonly used for pressure die casting are: AZ91, LM24, LM2, LM6, ADC12, A380 and Mazak. Of course, there are many more which we can offer and we welcome you to contact us to find out more.

Why should I choose pressure die casting?

Pressure die casting will lend itself to companies/people looking for low unit price, excellent repeatability, thin wall sections, exceptional high quality and accuracy.

With our many years of experience and with our qualified engineers in both the UK and overseas we can offer pressure die casting solutions for a range of industry sectors, accompanied by the full range of post-casting services, encompassing machining and finishing solutions.

If you would like further information about the content of this blog or to understand more about our casting capabilities, please contact Investacast +44 (0)1271 866200 or email [email protected].