Conceptually, casting is a manufacturing process and requires
articulate calculations to create the required outputs. This process
injects liquid material into different moulds to solidify the mould.
The amalgamation results in different fabricated parts. The primal
benefit of casting process allows manufactures to create specific parts
that are not economically feasible to create on the general assembly
line. Million of parts that are made via die casting process could not
have been achieved otherwise since the cost of producing certain items
are not economical or even production possible. Any form of casting is
a labor intensive process that requires a specific skill set. All
processes from temperature building, quantity and quality of the liquid
to be injected, form and shape of the mould, to the coolness technique
of the output products all require specific skill sets. Without an
accomplished team, it become very difficult for die casting
manufactures to delivery quality products.
Die casting is a similar process in which molten metal is put under
high pressure into the cavities of steel molds. The molds are called
dies. The dies also come in different shapes and varieties in
properties. Die casting process is heavily used in the automotive
industry to create different body parts. Australia’s auto industry
supports a large local die casting business, manufacturing parts that
include cylinders, pistons and engine sumps etc. A very similar growing
industry also flourishes in Korea as well since Korea is home to a
large number of automotive manufactures. Die casting is one of the most
efficient means of producing car parts since it is more feasible than
the older versions of liquid casting and other strenuous techniques.
Die casting has allowed for the substantial growth in mass production
of automotives as well as parts for airplanes and trains as well.
Flourishing economies of scale also come with its price and challenges.
Mergers and alliances are now a common practice in die casting
manufacturing countries to streamline and hone processes to cater to
the booming economy and mass productivity requirements. The die process
entails four major steps that are required to be followed sequentially.
The first step is to spray the mold with any form of lubricant and then
close the mould. Different lubricants are used as per the requirement
of the finished good. There are several benefits of using lubricant in
the process. The lubricant both helps control the temperature of the
die and it also assists in the removal of the casting. Effective
lubricant can be the differentiator factor of average versus customer
centric products. Molten metal is then injected into the die under high
pressure. The high pressure assures a casting as precise and as smooth
as the mold. This stage requires extreme caution in regarding to the
pressure and checking of any defects in the mold. Once the cavity is
filled then the pressure is maintained until the casting has become
solid (though this period is usually made short as possible by water
cooling the mold). There are also different ways of cooling the mold
water cooling being one of them. It typically takes a lengthy amount of
time to cool down the molds if left simply to nature. In order to
expedite the end product, different cooling techniques are used.
Finally, the die is opened and the casting is ejected. This is the
entire process of the die casting procedures.
The clamping efficiency defines the quality of the machines that are
used in the die casting manufacturing process. Typical sizes of the die
casting machines range from 100 to 4,000 tons. Along with the massive
weights also comes a gigantic size associated with the machines.
Majority of the machines can be as large as regular home sizes in any
city of the world. Irrespective of size, there are primarily two types
of categories of die casting machinery. One is the hot chamber machines
for zinc, magnesium and lower melting-point metals and the other is the
cold chamber machines for aluminum
(http://automobile.dmc.co.kr/eng/Aluminum-Die-Casting-Manufacturer.asp
) and higher melting-point metals. A die casting machine automatically
opens and closes the mold and injects the liquid metal, all under high
pressure and as rapidly as possible, in the case of zinc up to several
hundred times an hour. This time line is also dependent upon the
machinery features and the vendor. Extensive research and work has
taken place to hone the die casting manufacturing machine features and
make it more simple and cost effective both in terms of pricing and
productivity. There are several key milestones that all die
manufactures are looking anxiously to reduce. Time to produce the end
product, minimize quantity of goods used in the entire process and
enhance the overall skill set of individuals are all the key elements
that need improvement. The anticipated reduction is approximately 30% -
40%, but the overall reduction is around 20% and that too in the human
resource department. Engineers are now being trained on specialized
avenues in die casting which helps in reducing the overall human
resources required.
One of the ongoing challenges with die casting is detecting surface and
sub surface defects within specific timelines. Defects and variances in
the final products are still on the high end. Due to the high number of
defects and variance, a large amount of raw material is lost and put
forth as waste. Vendors have realized this gap in identifying the
defects and variances during the process. Fully automatic machines are
now being manufactured to cater to this ongoing challenge. A fully
automatic fault detecting machine named CAST vision has been produced
and a prototype process is in place for extended in-plant on-line
trials. This is the third year of this project and it is giving good
results. The result of algorithm which was designed and developed in
2nd year has been put to test now. By prototyping the CAST team had
designed and developed a working system CAST vision. This can
discriminate between good and defective parts. For more information
about Die casting visit: http://automobile.dmc.co.kr/eng/die-casting.asp
