Custom aluminum die casting has become main industrial manufacturing process. The most commonly material and versatile castable aluminum alloy, like A380, A383 AND ACD12. With them, OEM die casting manufacturer can make many custom aluminum die casting parts in automotive, aerospace and aircraft and mechanical industries. These Custom aluminum die casting should offer lightweight and high strength structural aluminum parts.
What Is Custom Aluminum Die Casting ?
Custom aluminum die casting is a higher melting temperature manufacturing process that produces customized aluminum alloy parts by injecting molten aluminum into a precision-designed steel mold (die) under high pressure. These rough as-cast parts undergo secondary operations such as trimming, CNC machining, surface finishing, and inspection to meet specific customer requirements.
It is widely used for lightweight, high-strength components in automotive, electric vehicles, electronics, communication equipment, industrial machinery, and consumer products. OEM aluiminum die casting project needs following customer intention to produce high volume die casting parts, without any consideration of tooling design and manufaturing at all. But ODM project should design 3d model of product, address mold flow design and simulation, high precision tooling manufacturing and aluminum die casting mass production.
Features Of Custom Aluminum Die Casting
Custom Aluminum die casting belongs to tailored die cast process, which is had a specific design depend the specific requirements of the client and meet the part functions and applications in some special term and environment. They have the below pros and cons.
Tailored And Personalized
Custom die casting should be tailored and personalized, until meeting the specific requirement or unique design, the manufacturing process may have an expensive cost, but it can meet the demand of the client, The custom die casting need produce low volume products.
Being Satisfied With Specific Requirement
These Custom die castings require being satisfied with some specific requirement from the client. The aluminum custom die casting parts are used for automotive, aerospace, and other industries needing lightweight components. They need integrated structure and strong mechanical properties.
High Waste Material Acceptable
Custom die casting processes custom die casting parts, may generate more defective products. This causes high waste material during manufacgturing process. So in general term, the client can accept high waste material and pay more money to the supplier. And only require high quality custom die casting components.
Custom Dimensions and Complex Geometry
Aluminum alloy die casting has high dimensional accuracy. Custom die casting need accurate dimensions and specific requirement process, and ensure the accuracy dimensions of the part and personalized geometry requirements. Custom die casting makes the structure and design of mold & die more complex.
Cold-Chamber Die Casting Machines
In cold-chamber die casting, the molten metal is melted in a separate furnace. The molten aluminum is ladled into the injection system of the die casting machine when begining casting the aluminum die casting parts. Then injected into the mold using a high-pressure plunger. and cooled and shaped, ejected the shape rough casting components from the die. It needs more heat energy consumption, comparison to hot chamber die casting.
Higher Heat Energy Consumption
Aluminum die casting process requires high melting temperature to form lightweight and higher strength precision die casting parts at slow casting cycle. Aluminum alloy requires higher temperature about 660℃-720℃ to melt, then the precision steel die accept the higher temperature metal flow and form precision die casting part, where heat energy consumption is necessary.
Slow Casting Cycle
High temperature molten aluminum requies more longer time to cool and solidify, authough aluimum has a fast thermal dissipation. It average casty cycle time is 20-80 seconds, Compare with fast casting cycle in zinc die casting at lower temperature operation, where cast cycle time is 8-30 seconds.
Rough Surface Roughness(Grain Grade)
During aluminum alloy melting, molten aluminum tends to absorb hydrogen from moisture in the atmosphere, furnace environment, and alloy impurities. When dissolved hydrogen remains inside the molten metal, it can form gas porosity during solidification, which affects the mechanical properties and surface quality of aluminum die castings.during high-pressure aluminum die casting, trapped air, turbulent metal flow, and rapid solidification can still create internal pores or surface imperfections if process parameters are not properly controlled. Rough surface roughness is commonly, and requies more seconadery operations.
Material Options For Custom Aluminum Die Casting
Die casting manufacturer should select the right aluminum alloy material, follow the specific requirement of the client, with advanced die casting machine and high precision tooling steel die, and process the custom die casting part that being satisfied with the client. Carefully look in the below common aluminum alloys, that is very curicial.
| Aluminum Alloy Items | Composition And Content |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Aluminum (~90%), Copper (Cu): 3.8–4.9%, Magnesium (Mg): 2.1-2.9%, Manganese (Mn): 0.3–0.9%,Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.5%,Silicon (Si): ≤ 0.5%,Zinc (Zn): ≤ 0.25%,Titanium (Ti): ≤ 0.15% |
| 7075 | Aluminum (~88%), Copper (Cu): 1.2-2.0%, Magnesium (Mg): 0.8-1.2%, Manganese (Mn): ≤ 0.3%,Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.5%,Silicon (Si): ≤ 0.4%,Zinc (Zn): 5.1-6.1%,Chromium (Cr): 0.18–0.28% |
| 6061 | Aluminum (~97%), Copper (Cu): 0.15-0.4%, Magnesium (Mg): 1.2–1.8%, Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.7%,Silicon (Si): 0.4-0.8%, Zinc (Zn): 0.25%, Chromium (Cr): 0.04-0.35% |
| 5052 | Aluminum (~96%), Copper (Cu): ≤0.1%, Magnesium (Mg): 2.2-2.8%, Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.45%,Silicon (Si): ≤0.25%, Zinc (Zn): 0.1%, Chromium (Cr): 0.15-0.35% |
| 6082 | Aluminum (~97%), Copper (Cu): ≤0.1%, Magnesium (Mg): 0.6-1.2%, Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.5%,Silicon (Si): 0.7-1.3%, Zinc (Zn): ≤0.2%, Manganese (Mn): 0.4–1.0% |
| 5086 | Aluminum (~94%), Copper (Cu): ≤0.1%, Magnesium (Mg): 3.5-4.5%,Chromium (Cr): 0.05–0.25%, Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.5%,Silicon (Si): ≤0.4%, Manganese (Mn): 0.2-0.7% |
| 1350 | Aluminum (~99.5%), Copper (Cu): ≤0.05%, Iron (Fe): ≤ 0.4%,Silicon (Si): ≤0.1%, |
Custom Aluminum Die Casting: LightWeight
Aluminm is lower density metal, in which, it can be cast into more lightweighter die casting parts, compare to the other metal, such as zinc, iron, copper and stainless steel. So these aluminum die casting parts are generally used for aerospace and militery defense industries. They have excellent mechanical properties and good wear resistance at high temperature, and posses quick heat dissipation.
Aluminum alloy is widely used for communiction camera housings, smart device enclosures and electrical chip heat sinks in consumer electrics. Our engineers suggest that if you want to make high quality custom aluminum die casting process, you must careful design high precision casting die. The die is made of high quality tooling steel material. The die should endure high temperature for longer time and high wear resistance in mass production.
Custom Aluminum Die Casting: Strong Integrated Structure
Die casting manufacturer should ensure all aluminum die casting parts having a strong integrated structure. Minimizing the porosity status of aluminm die casting part, and enhance the strength of integrated structure of part. Aluminum die casting is often used for making some large size of cast parts. Because they are so far weightlight but have strong integrated structure and excellent surface finish when the cast parts is cast with high precision tooling steel casting die.
- High Temperature Resistance Tooling Steel Cast Die, Ensure its longer life time
- Accept Thin-Walled Cast Parts, Cast Mini Precision Parts
- Fillet Radius Design, More Convenient To Be Processed
- Reasonable Draft Angles Design, More Easy To Eject The Cast Parts
- Added Rib And Bosses Setting, Maintain Integrated Structure
- Reducing Crack of Halves Close, Minimizes parting line On The Cast Parts
- Inserting Textures Or Patterns On Surface OF The Cast Parts
Conclusion
In summary, custom aluminum die casting pros and cons are various and outstanding. The custom die casting is so far lightweight, tailored and steady integrated structure. These cast parts are flexible design,they can allow more comlex appearance and intircate internal steady structure. But also aluminum die casting components endure strong corrosion and wear in times at high temperature. Their quick heat dissipation make them playing the function of heat sink for electric chip module.
