All About Designing a Zinc Alloy Die Cast

Posted by sunainaram on September 8th, 2015

Die casting is a technique used by many of the manufacturers for mass production of spare parts, automobile parts, and other small metal products. As this process involves melting metal, pouring it into a cast and then taking out the solidified finished product, the production process is greatly simplified and made quicker. Also, the manufacturer will not require a lot of employees in the work line as most of the processes can be automated. The most important step in the product manufacturing process is die casting design. The mould in which the zinc alloy die casting is done should be perfectly designed as the quality and size of the end product will be exact to the mould cast.

There are lots of factors that need to be considered while designing the die cast. The metal alloy type and its physical properties are to be considered first. If the product is to have a thin wall, then the designer has to design ribs and bosses in the die cast in order to strengthen the product without adding to its thickness. The melting point of the metal is another point to be considered while working on the die casting design.

The draft angle is taken into account while creating the zinc alloy die casting design. When the molten metal is poured into the cast, it is poured via a tapering cone. The angle of the taper determines the speed at which the molten metal pours into the cast. If the slope is too sharp, then the molten metal will quickly fall into the mould and solidify as a lump, which will not give you the desired results. Similarly, if it’s too flattened out, then the metal may solidify even before it reaches the mould. The design should incorporate drafts at the right places, so the metal doesn’t adhere to the sloping surface and enhance the cycle time and product quality.

Every die casting design will feature a parting line. When the metal is fully moulded the cast is opened at the parting line to drop the finished product. The parting line can be set at any convenient place in the mould depending on the cast design.

High-quality zinc alloy die casting products can be manufactured only if the cast has uniform walls. Any change in the wall thickness will have a direct result on the flow of the molten metal into the cast. Planning the cast wall thickness gains prime importance in die casting design