What is Aluminum Die Casting?
What is Aluminum Die Casting?
When you’re in the process of designing an aluminum part, it is essential to consider which manufacturing process you’ll use to produce it. There are various methods for forming aluminum, and aluminum die casting is one of the most common options for designers to consider.
Aluminum die casting is the method of choice for many automotive, industrial, and telecommunications products. It’s also often used to produce electrical, hydraulic, and lighting components.
If you would like to know more about the aluminum die casting process and would like some help deciding if it is the right choice for your application, you’re in the right place.
Aluminum die casting is a metal-forming process that allows for the creation of complex aluminum parts. Ingots of aluminum alloy are heated to very high temperatures until they are entirely molten.
The liquid aluminum is injected under high pressure into the cavity of a steel die, also known as a mold — you can see an example of a mold for
automotive parts above. The die is made up of two halves, and after the molten aluminum has solidified, they are separated to reveal the cast aluminum part.
The resulting
aluminum product is precisely formed with a smooth surface and often requires minimal or no machining processes. Given that steel dies are used, the process can be repeated many times using the same mold before it deteriorates, making aluminum die casting ideal for the high-volume production of aluminum parts.
No. 1 – The Advantages of Aluminum Die Casting
Die casting aluminum offers several advantages over other metal-forming processes that might make it the appropriate choice to create your aluminum parts.
One of the most noteworthy is the ability to produce very complex shapes that neither extrusion nor machining can effectively create. A perfect example of this is the production of complex automotive parts, like transmissions and engine blocks. Other processes cannot consistently achieve the complexity and tight tolerances required for these products.
Additional advantages include the ability to have textured or smooth surfaces and the capacity to accommodate both large and small parts.
No. 2 – The Top Considerations During Part Design
A few considerations have to be taken into account when designing the part to be cast.
Firstly, the mold must be designed to separate and allow the solidified aluminum part to come out. The line that marks where the two halves of the mold come apart is referred to as a parting line, and you have to consider it in the early stages of die design.
Another important consideration is the location of injection points. The die can be designed with several injection points in cases when the molten metal would otherwise solidify before reaching every crevice in the die. This can also help if cavities are included in the design; you can surround them with aluminum and still have the part come off when the mold is separated.
You must also consider the thickness of the part’s walls. There are usually no guidelines for a minimum wall thickness, thanks to recent technology developments, but having walls with consistent thickness is often preferred.
No. 3 – How it Compares to Green Sand and Permanent Mold Casting
Green sand and permanent mold are two common
die casting processing to provide
aluminum die casting processing service. Green sand processes use wet sand to create the mold for the cast, making it less expensive than the other two processes. Above, you can see an operator pouring molten metal into a sand cast mold.
Unlike die casting, which uses injection, permanent mold castings require the molten aluminum to be gravity poured into the mold. Permanent mold castings can also potentially produce stronger casts.
Nevertheless, die casting offers better tolerances and better-finished surfaces than the other two methods, often eliminating the need for subsequent surface treatment.
No. 4 – Options for Machining and Finishing
Die cast aluminum parts often require minimal machining, and several options are available for surface finishing. Die casting has a very good surface finish by casting standards but can still have imperfections, like metal seams where the mold halves meet. A rough surface or other imperfections inadequate for the part can be addressed by sanding, sandblasting, or orbital sanding.
The cold working process of shot peening is often used on die cast aluminum to improve fatigue resistance. Alternatively, a protective or decorative coating can be applied to the finished part, such as a powder coat. Other types of modifications can also be applied to the parts after casting, such as drill tapping.
No. 5 – The Most Common Aluminum Die Casting Alloys
A few of the most commonly used aluminum alloys for die casting are A380, 383, B390, A413, A360, and CC401. The primary consideration when choosing an appropriate alloy is your intended application.
For example, A360 offers excellent corrosion resistance, pressure tightness, and very good fluidity when molten. B390 offers outstanding wear resistance and high hardness while having the lowest ductility of all cast alloys, which is why it is used for applications such as automotive engine blocks. Alloy A380 is the perfect jack-of-all-trades, offering a good combination of casting and product properties, and is the most commonly specified alloy for casting a wide variety of products.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the metal-forming process you choose will depend on your budget, the purpose of your aluminum part, and how many parts you want to manufacture. Die casting can be an expensive method, but it’s worth it if your design has high complexity and you require a high volume of parts.
Gabrian’s professional aluminum die casting services include professional die design to ensure the molten metal fills all parts of the mold and an ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturing facility offering professional manufacturing with excellent quality control and consistent properties. The facility is also IATF16949 certified and ISO14001 certified, and we provide e-coating and powder coating finishes for the castings if required by the customer.
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The Basic Components & Parts of a Motorcycle
We will be creating a reference guide on the majority of
motorcycle parts along with a brief description of what the device does and where it may be found on a motorcycle. I will also include varying technologies that can be associated with many of the parts and components in this guide.
The information that I am putting together is based on content that has been or will be published on BBM’s Learn to Ride a Motorcycle section under Guides. This article is intended for new riders and to be used on its own or in conjunction with other media to understand the terms used in the content.
Clutch Lever
Diagram #13: The clutch lever is located in front of the left handgrip along the handlebar.
To use the clutch lever: Use your left hand to variably pull the clutch lever in towards the grip.
Using this control separates power from the motor to the rear wheel.
Front Brake Lever
Diagram #4: The front brake lever is located in front of the right handgrip along the handlebar.
To use the brake lever: Use your right hand to apply/pull the brake lever towards the grip.
The more force or pressure applied to the brake lever directly controls how much braking force is applied to the front wheel.
Throttle
Diagram #5: The throttle is built into the right handgrip
To use the throttle: Place the right hand on the grip and twist the handgrip.
The more you twist the grip, the more fuel gets delivered to the motor resulting in more power/higher RPMs from the motor.
Tech & Accessories
Adjustable Pull-In-Distance with Clutch & Brake Levers: This accessory or mod typically is found as an aftermarket part. It allows people with shorter hands or people that want to adjust how far they have to reach/where the controls activation points are in their travel range.
Components, Parts of Automobile.
An automobile has several numbers of parts. But there are four essential components of automobile. These are:
1. The Chassis.
2. The Engine.
3. The Transmission System.
4. The Body.
Apart from these four essential parts of automobile, there are controls and auxiliaries.
The controls are meant for controlling the movement of the vehicle. The auxiliaries are additional components meant for providing comfort to the user of the automobile.
1. The Chassis.
The chassis of an automobile incorporates all the major assemblies consisting of an engine, components of transmission system such as clutch, gearbox, propeller shaft, axles, a control system such as brakes and steering, and suspension system of the vehicle.
In other words, it is the vehicle without its body.
The chassis of an automobile has the frame, suspension system, axles, and wheel as the main components. The frame could be in the form of conventional chassis or unit construction may be adopted.
2. The Engine.
The engine is the source of motive power to an automobile. Obviously, it is a very important part of the automobile because in the absence of an engine, the automobile may not move at all, and its basic function of transporting passengers or goods would be defeated.
The power of the engine determines the working of the automobile. In the same manner, the efficiency of the engine determines the efficiency of an automobile.
3. The Transmission System.
The transmission system transmits power developed by the engine to the road wheels. The power available as output from the engine is in the form of rotation of the crankshaft.
4. The Body.
The use of a separate frame to which the body structure is attached is now almost obsolete except for some applications for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.