Die Casting News

Article for North America Die Casting Association (NADCA) “Die Cast Engineer Magazine” 2007 by Tim Cowell, Technical Director for The Hill and Griffith Company

Introduction

Early on in the Die Cast Industry, die lubricants were usually a concoction of various compounds that the die caster had available to him.

1. He would create different mixtures and whatever yielded the best results for his specific application was what he used. Although much was learned from this trial and error type of evaluation, this method of die lubricant development was considered more of a “Black Art” than a science. Several decades later, there are some who still believe it. Over the years, die lubricant manufacturers and others have gone to great lengths to develop laboratory methods aimed at correlating a product’s performance in the lab with how it will perform in production, and yet there are still no standardized scientific methods within the industry for evaluating die lubricants. The only true test to determine the functionality of a new die lubricant is by its introduction to the production environment.

The die casting industry depends on the skill of the machine operator for efficient production of high-quality products.

The effective machine operator understands the basic function of the process, the proper care of the die casting machine, die setup, recognition and control of basic casting defects, and the procedures that ensure his/her personal safety.



The North American Die Casting Association has created an eleven part webinar series geared towards educating operators on the do's and don'ts of running a die casting machine. Signing up for all eleven parts of this series will also grant you access to these courses through the NADCA Online Education System, which allows you to view the recordings, pdf's and support material for a full year.

NADCA EC-515 Die Casting Defects Course Review, Basics for controlling die casting defects - By Dr. Steve Midson

Gas porosity is the biggest single problem in die casting. High gas content prevents heat treating or welding and makes strength unpredictable.

• There are three major sources of gas porosity for die castings: Trapped air, Steam, Gas from lubricant
• Gas porosity is round and generally smooth, although it can be flattened to some extent by pressure
• The actions to reduce gas porosity, in general, are not the same as the actions for reducing shrink porosity

NADCA EC-515 Die Casting Defects Course Review, Basics for controlling die casting defects - By Dr. Steve Midson

The die temperature’s effect on surface defects and the die temperature operating window will be discussed next

• A low die temperature affects surface defects by cooling the fluid metal stream and increasing the percent of solidified metal in the metal stream
• If the percent of solidified metal is high, then it becomes stiff and solid and does not knit together well; And the flow forms "wrinkles", or cold flow
• A cold die can be compensated for by having a shorter fill time - this means a higher plunger speed
• In other words, we can exchange plunger speed for die temperature.

Room Block Closes December 21 - Register Today!

From the Dec 13, 2017 Newsletter: 

NADCA is excited to announce the return of Die Casting Congress West on January 11-12, 2018 at the Hilton Long Beach. The Congress will feature technology highlights of our Congress in Atlanta earlier this fall. The event will kick off with a cocktail reception on January 11 and lead into a full day of presentations on January 12.  Presentations to include: 

Session: State of the Industry
An update on the current state of the die casting industry.
Paul Brancaleon, North American Die Casting Association 

Session: Structural
The ability of the die casting industry to improve cast component performance will help die casting continue to be a relevant manufacturing process. Structural die castings have been identified as having the potential to expand markets for die castings by providing improved mechanical properties. Higher strengths and elongations allow die castings to be used as structural, or even crash-worthy, components on automobiles. Research on alloys and heat treatments used in structural die castings will be presented during this session.
Paul Brancaleon, North American Die Casting Association 
 
Session: Die Coatings  
Die casting is a harsh environment for dies and tooling. Heat checking, soldering and wash-out are all issues that die cast tooling faces. Research is being performed on the use of coatings to not only protect the tooling, but also reduce the amount of die spray needed. Protecting the surface of the die, as well as the shot sleeve inner diameter, will extend the life of the die and sleeve, which in turn leads to better quality castings.
Steve Midson, The Midson Group
 
Session: Computer Modeling
To make higher quality die castings the die casting process needs to be understood on a fundamental level. Transforming the basic principles of die casting into mathematical equations, the process can be simulated on a computer. Advances in computer simulation lead to process improvements, improved tooling, and optimum utilization of new alloys.
Al Miller, The Ohio State University

Session: Advanced Technology    
Customers are constantly looking for higher quality parts at lower costs with shorter lead times. There are limits to the benefits of improving process control. Eventually, new technology is required to meet the demands of new products or stricter quality and functional requirements. This session will look at some of those new technologies and how they can be utilized to improve die castings.  
Beau Glim, North American Die Casting Association

The Congress is sponsored by a limited number of Suppliers that attendees will be able to meet with to learn more about products and services available to the die casting industry.

Sponsors Include: 
Thermtronix Corp
BuhlerPrince Inc
Visi-Trak Worldwide, LLC
Frech USA Inc
B&L Information Systems Inc
Oerlikon Balzers
MAGMA Foundry Technologies Inc
Hill and Griffith Co
Hildreth Manufacturing LLC
Midland Technologies, Inc
Anviloy By Astaras Inc
HPM North America Corporation

The cost is just $20 for NADCA Members and $50 for Non-Members (note that registration includes access to the cocktail hour as well as breakfast and lunch on January 12).  In addition, if you will be sending 5 or more people we are offering special pricing.  

Information and registration can be found here. Please note that the housing block closes December 21, so make your reservations right away! If you have any questions please feel free to contact Melisa Ryzner, CMP at mryzner@diecasting.org or 847.808.3161.

A Short History of the Die Casting Lubricant

Die casting has progressed over the last sixty years from small parts of lower melting metals and alloys such as zinc, to castings of large parts, such as tailgates and engine blocks with high-melting alloys of aluminum or magnesium.

The metals are injected into a mold very quickly and under high pressure. The pressure is maintained until solidification, which produces accurate parts with good surface finish. Depending on the alloys, it's possible to obtain a variety of physical and mechanical properties over a range of sizes and weights.

As die casting conditions grow more severe with higher temperatures, pressure and increased part size. Higher performance die casting lubricants are needed to enhance the process, as long as they don’t negatively affect the quality of the casting.

The Hill and Griffith Company is dedicated to providing high performance die casting lubricants, application and management technologies to continue to increase the size, quality and strength of diecast parts and assemblies.

Die Casting Process in Google News:

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Hill and Griffith Customer Service

We're known for our hands on approach. Let us visit your plant, offer die casting technical support and recommend release agents, lubricants, plunger lubricants and permanent mold lubricants that suit your needs. Products that represent the latest in technology and ongoing research that enhance competitiveness and increase productivity. 

Proper die casting lubricant and its application ensure that parts eject easily and without defects.

Also called mold release or die spray a precise amount of it is sprayed onto the steel mold before each shot. It evaporates when it comes in contact with the hot steel leaving just the right amount of lubricated coating and required temperature of the mold.

If it cannot evaporate fast enough or if the tool cools too quickly, the molten metal may become more porous. Porosity is always caused by the die casting process. Proper component design, draft, overflows and venting can reduce porosity; as well as specially formulated die release agents.

If there is not enough, the component may stick in the die and cause defects. The larger the draft; the less mold release required. 

Die lubricants are formulated specifically for zinc, aluminum or magnesium and the complexity of the die casting. 

Water-based lubricants provide a release agent and die cooling. Oil-based lubricants may be more appropriate for painted or plated components. It doesn’t provide the same cooling as water-based. Oil-based allows for an increased temperature which may be required for high-quality finishes.

Video News Update: Coatings for Die Castings: Conventional Coating Processes

From the November 29, 2017 Newsletter: 

Video News Update: Coatings for Die Castings: Conventional Coating Processes

The material presented in this video are some highlights from NADCA’s online webinar - Coatings for Die Castings: Conventional Coating Processes - presented by Stephen Midson of The Midson Group. Conventional coatings (nitriding, carbonitriding) have been used for some time on die casting dies. This introductory webinar will review these processes, and describe die failure mechanisms (soldering, erosion) they are used to address.