Die Casting

Die casting is a manufacturing process that can produce geometrically complex metal parts through the use of reusable molds, called dies. The die casting process involves the use of a furnace, metal, die casting machine, and die. The metal, typically a non-ferrous alloy such as aluminum or zinc, is melted in the furnace and then injected into the dies in the die casting machine. There are two main types of die casting machines - hot chamber machines (used for alloys with low melting temperatures, such as zinc) and cold chamber machines (used for alloys with high melting temperatures, such as aluminum). The differences between these machines will be detailed in the sections on equipment and tooling. However, in both machines, after the molten metal is injected into the dies, it rapidly cools and solidifies into the final part, called the casting. The steps in this process are described in greater detail in the next section.

Die casting hot chamber machine overview

Die casting cold chamber machine overview

The castings that are created in this process can vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from a couple ounces to 100 pounds. One common application of die cast parts are housings - thin-walled enclosures, often requiring many ribs and bosses on the interior. Metal housings for a variety of appliances and equipment are often die cast. Several automobile components are also manufactured using die casting, including pistons, cylinder heads, and engine blocks. Other common die cast parts include propellers, gears, bushings, pumps, and valves.

The process cycle for die casting consists of five main stages, which are explained below. The total cycle time is very short, typically between 2 seconds and 1 minute.

1. Clamping 

   - The first step is the preparation and clamping of the two halves of the die. Each die half is first cleaned from the previous injection and then lubricated to facilitate the ejection of the next part. The lubrication time increases with part size, as well as the number of cavities and side-cores. Also, lubrication may not be required after each cycle, but after 2 or 3 cycles, depending upon the material. After lubrication, the two die halves, which are attached inside the die casting machine, are closed and securely clamped together. Sufficient force must be applied to the die to keep it securely closed while the metal is injected. The time required to close and clamp the die is dependent upon the machine - larger machines (those with greaterclamping forces) will require more time. This time can be estimated from the dry cycle time of the machine.

2. Injection 

   - The molten metal, which is maintained at a set temperature in the furnace, is next transferred into a chamber where it can be injected into the die. The method of transferring the molten metal is dependent upon the type of die casting machine, whether a hot chamber or cold chamber machine is being used. The difference in this equipment will be detailed in the next section. Once transferred, the molten metal is injected at high pressures into the die. Typical injection pressure ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 psi. This pressure holds the molten metal in the dies during solidification. The amount of metal that is injected into the die is referred to as the shot. The injection time is the time required for the molten metal to fill all of the channels and cavities in the die. This time is very short, typically less than 0.1 seconds, in order to prevent early solidification of any one part of the metal. The proper injection time can be determined by the thermodynamic properties of the material, as well as the wall thickness of the casting. A greater wall thickness will require a longer injection time. In the case where a cold chamber die casting machine is being used, the injection time must also include the time to manually ladle the molten metal into the shot chamber.

3. Cooling 

   - The molten metal that is injected into the die will begin to cool and solidify once it enters the die cavity. When the entire cavity is filled and the molten metal solidifies, the final shape of the casting is formed. The die can not be opened until the cooling time has elapsed and the casting is solidified. The cooling time can be estimated from several thermodynamic properties of the metal, the maximum wall thickness of the casting, and the complexity of the die. A greater wall thickness will require a longer cooling time. The geometric complexity of the die also requires a longer cooling time because the additional resistance to the flow of heat.

4. Ejection 

   - After the predetermined cooling time has passed, the die halves can be opened and an ejection mechanism can push the casting out of the die cavity. The time to open the die can be estimated from the dry cycle time of the machine and the ejection time is determined by the size of the casting's envelope and should include time for the casting to fall free of the die. The ejection mechanism must apply some force to eject the part because during cooling the part shrinks and adheres to the die. Once the casting is ejected, the die can be clamped shut for the next injection.

5. Trimming 

   - During cooling, the material in the channels of the die will solidify attached to the casting. This excess material, along with any flash that has occurred, must be trimmed from the casting either manually via cutting or sawing, or using a trimming press. The time required to trim the excess material can be estimated from the size of the casting's envelope. The scrap material that results from this trimming is either discarded or can be reused in the die casting process. Recycled material may need to be reconditioned to the proper chemical composition before it can be combined with non-recycled metal and reused in the die casting process

Hot chamber die casting machine 

- Hot chamber machines are used for alloys with low melting temperatures, such as zinc, tin, and lead. The temperatures required to melt other alloys would damage the pump, which is in direct contact with the molten metal. The metal is contained in an open holding pot which is placed into a furnace, where it is melted to the necessary temperature. The molten metal then flows into a shot chamber through an inlet and a plunger, powered by hydraulic pressure, forces the molten metal through a gooseneck channel and into the die. Typical injection pressures for a hot chamber die casting machine are between 1000 and 5000 psi. After the molten metal has been injected into the die cavity, the plunger remains down, holding the pressure while the casting solidifies. After solidification, the hydraulic system retracts the plunger and the part can be ejected by the clamping unit. Prior to the injection of the molten metal, this unit closes and clamps the two halves of the die. When the die is attached to the die casting machine, each half is fixed to a large plate, called a platen. The front half of the die, called the cover die, is mounted to a stationary platen and aligns with the gooseneck channel. The rear half of the die, called the ejector die, is mounted to a movable platen, which slides along the tie bars. The hydraulically powered clamping unit actuates clamping bars that push this platen towards the cover die and exert enough pressure to keep it closed while the molten metal is injected. Following the solidification of the metal inside the die cavity, the clamping unit releases the die halves and simultaneously causes the ejection system to push the casting out of the open cavity. The die can then be closed for the next injection.

                                                                      

Hot chamber die casting machine - Opened                               Hot chamber die casting machine - Closed Cold chamber die casting machine  - Cold chamber machines are used for alloys with high melting temperatures that can not be cast in hot chamber machines because they would damage the pumping system. Such alloys include aluminum, brass, and magnesium. The molten metal is still contained in an open holding pot which is placed into a furnace, where it is melted to the necessary temperature. However, this holding pot is kept separate from the die casting machine and the molten metal is ladled from the pot for each casting, rather than being pumped. The metal is poured from the ladle into the shot chamber through a pouring hole. The injection system in a cold chamber machine functions similarly to that of a hot chamber machine, however it is usually oriented horizontally and does not include a gooseneck channel. A plunger, powered by hydraulic pressure, forces the molten metal through the shot chamber and into the injection sleeve in the die. The typical injection pressures for a cold chamber die casting machine are between 2000 and 20000 psi. After the molten metal has been injected into the die cavity, the plunger remains forward, holding the pressure while the casting solidifies. After solidification, the hydraulic system retracts the plunger and the part can be ejected by the clamping unit. The clamping unit and mounting of the dies is identical to the hot chamber machine. See the above paragraph for details.                                                                                           Cold chamber die casting machine - Opened                                                                                            Cold chamber die casting machine - Closed

Types Of Gears

CO-2 MOULDING

CO2 Molding

Introduction: Co2 Casting is a kind of sand casting process. In this process the sand molding mixture is hardened by blowing gas over over the mold. This process is favoured by hobby metal casters because a lot of cost cutting can be done. In addition, one can be sure of getting dimensionally accurate castings with fine surface finish. But, this process is not economical than green sand casting process. Process: The Mold for Co2 Casting is made of a mixture of sand and liquid silicate binder which is hardened by passing Co2 gas over the mold. The equipment of the molding process include Co2 cylinder, regulator, hoses and hand held applicator gun or nozzle. Carbon di oxide molding deliver great accuracy in production. Any existing pattern can be used for the molding purpose which can be placed in the mold before the mold is hardened. This method helps in producing strong mold and cores that can be used for high end applications. If the process is carefully executed then casting can be as precise as produced by the shell casting method. Carbon di oxide casting is favored both by the commercial foundrymen and hobbyist for a number of reasons. In commercial operations, foundrymen can assure customers of affordable castings which require less machining. The molding process which can be fully automated is generally used for casting process that require speed, high production runs and flexibility. In home foundries this is one of the simplest process that improves the casting quality . Applications: Co2 casting process is ideal where speed and flexibility is the prime requirement. molds and cores of a varied sizes and shapes can be molded by this process. Advantages: This process has many advantages in comparison to other forms of castings some of them are as follows: Compared to other casting methods cores and molds are strong Reduces fuel cost since gas is used instead of to other costly heating generating elements Reduces large requirement for number of mold boxes and core dryers Provides great dimensional tolerance and accuracy in production Moisture is completely eliminated from the molding sand This process can be fully automated.

Elliptical Trammel

                                                                                     

A trammel of Archimedes is a mechanism that traces out an ellipse It consists of two shuttles which are confined ("trammelled") to perpendicular channels or rails, and a rod which is attached to the shuttles by pivots at fixed positions along the rod. As the shuttles move back and forth, each along its channel, the end of the rod moves in an elliptical path. The semi-axes a and b of the ellipse are the distances between the end of the rod and the two pivots. An ellipsograph is a trammel of Archimedes intended to draw, cut, or machine ellipses, e.g. in wood or other sheet materials. An ellipsograph has the appropriate instrument (pencil, knife, router, etc.) attached to the rod. Usually the distances a and b are adjustable, so that the size and shape of the ellipse can be varied.

Scotch Yoke

The Scotch yoke is a mechanism for converting the linear motion of a slider into rotational motion or vice-versa. The piston or other reciprocating part is directly coupled to a sliding yoke with a slot that engages a pin on the rotating part. The shape of the motion of the piston is a pure sine wave over time given a constant rotational speed.