Are you unfamiliar with the die casting process? Learn how to implement design tactics for maximum manufacturability here.
Design for manufacturing
The key to seeing a return on your investment is to optimise your component design to take advantage of the die casting process. It’s best to design your component with the production process in mind, whether it’s best suited for conventional die casting, multi-slide die casting, or injected metal assembly. Engineers should approach each project with the goal of designing for maximum manufacturability.
Design for manufacturing (DFM) is a fundamental methodology that ensures die cast parts meet specifications while reducing the need for secondary operations. Given that these operations can account for up to 80% of component costs, it’s critical to minimise them during the design stage.
DFM is more than just a concept; it is a method of reducing costs and eliminating inefficiencies before your project enters production. In this blog, we’ll walk you through three strategies for designing your die cast component to maximise ROI.
Reduce the weight and thickness of the walls
Reduced weight and wall thickness in cross sections may appear to be an obvious solution. Less weight equals less material, and less material equals less cost. It also means less solidification time, which means more shots per minute. However, some businesses find themselves sacrificing performance in order to save money.
With part performance in mind, it’s critical to reduce weight and wall thickness while maintaining part strength. When designing your component, consider the mechanical and physical requirements of your project to select the best alloy that will perform well with thin walls.
For example, if your part must be corrosion-resistant and stable, thin wall aluminium is an excellent choice. Aluminum is resistant to corrosion and has a high dimensional stability and hardness.
Keep the wall thickness consistent
Maintaining uniformity may be more important than achieving a lower wall thickness. This will go a long way towards ensuring a consistently stable, repeatable, and manufacturing-optimized casting.
Porosity can result from both varying flow pressures and non-uniform solidification when wall thickness varies. Our engineers at Dynacast have many tricks up their sleeves for producing a net-shape component with die casting while maintaining consistent wall thickness.
Figure 2 shows that the component on the left has several walls that are much thicker than the component’s thinnest part. This method of casting would result in a weaker, porous part. Instead, to achieve greater uniformity, our engineers will core the thicker walls and incorporate ribs in the cores to ensure part strength.
Take into account the draught angle and tolerance zones
To avoid redesign delays, keep the achievable draught angles and tolerances for your project’s materials in mind when designing your component. Zinc draught angles are generally achievable at 0.5o. Aluminum has a melting point of 1o-2o. For exact tolerances, zinc can hold between 0.001" and 0.002", while aluminium can hold between 0.002" and 0.004".
With achievable draught angles and tolerances in mind, you’ll be better able to avoid engineering unnecessary cost into the design. Exacting tolerances and minimal draught angles are frequently requested by businesses when such features are not required to maximise part performance. As a result, their castings fail.
Instead, approach your design from a more holistic standpoint. Determine your component’s non-critical dimensions to allow for more lenient tolerance zones. Allowing for tolerance zones not only extends the life of your tool by reducing the number of exact geometries that wear down, but it also makes it easier to plan the tolerance stack-up of your entire component. This will assist you in avoiding machining and secondary operations as much as possible, allowing your design to work for you in order to get the most out of the die casting process.
