What Is Die Casting? And the Differences and the Relationship Between Die Casting and Cutting

What Is Die Casting?

Die casting is a casting technique in which non-ferrous metal is melted by heat and poured into molds to instantly form a product. Die casting allows quick and easy production of parts with complex shapes by injecting molten aluminum, magnesium, or other alloys at high speed and pressure into a precision mold attached to a die casting machine.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Die Casting

What are the benefits and drawbacks of producing parts with die casting? Let's take a closer look.

Benefits of Die Casting

Die casting has the following benefits:

• Allows mass production
• Allows complex shapes
• High dimensional accuracy
• Less secondary machining
• Able to lower costs

Die casting offers several benefits, including the ability to produce complex shapes, high dimensional accuracy, mass production capabilities, and cost reduction.

Although creating a mold from scratch takes time, having molds in various shapes tailored to the product allows for the easy manufacture of products with complex three-dimensional shapes. In addition, die casting has higher dimensional accuracy than regular casting and a higher yield than cutting, and products can be finished simply by deburring.

The benefit of die casting is very evident particularly when manufacturing products that require mass production. By using die casting to mass-produce products with complex shapes in a few steps once a mold is created, production costs can also be reduced.

Drawbacks of Die Casting

While there are benefits of die casting, there are also drawbacks.

• Low strength
• Mold cost is high and it may not be suitable for low-volume production
• Some shapes, such as pipes and hollow shapes, cannot be manufactured

Generally, cavities known as blowholes may form inside die-cast products, so they tend not to be as strong as products manufactured by cutting. While techniques have emerged to control the formation of blowholes through technological advances, these techniques may lead to higher manufacturing costs.

In addition, the cost of creating the mold itself can be high, and manufacturing with die casting tends to have high initial costs.

However, the issue of initial costs can be resolved with mass production. Therefore, die casting is not suitable for low-volume production. Furthermore, it is important to note that depending on the parts being manufactured, the life of the mold may be shortened, increasing costs even for mass production.

Another drawback is that some shapes cannot be manufactured with die casting. Pipe-shaped parts and hollow parts cannot be manufactured, and die casting is not suitable for creating protruding shapes on the inside or holes on the side.

Differences and the Relationship Between Die Casting and Cutting

Cutting mainly involves using machine tools to cut, create holes in, and machine materials, which is a fundamentally different manufacturing method from die casting, which uses molds to cast products. Both manufacturing methods are suited to different products. Cutting is also used to manufacture small lots and create prototypes before moving on to die casting, while die casting is suitable for creating products with complex shapes and mass-producing parts with the same shape.

Based on these characteristics, cutting and die casting are used separately depending on the product and production volume. Cutting and die casting can also be used together to manufacture products.

Since the product drawings clearly specify the casting dimensional tolerance grade and cutting dimensional tolerance, it can be determined whether die casting alone is sufficient or if cutting is required. This cutting also includes facing and drilling.

Important Points to Consider When Cutting Die-Cast Products

Die-cast products may have variations. It is important to consider these variations when designing jigs and create machining paths that minimize the impact of chips.

Since die-cast products are intended for mass production, it is important to make frequent checks and perform maintenance to avoid reducing the operating rate of machine tools.

Examples of Die-Cast Products

Die-cast products are all around us. In particular, there are numerous die-cast automotive parts. Among these, die casting is mainly used for engine components.

[Examples of die-cast automotive parts]

In addition to the automotive sector, die-cast parts can also be found in home appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, in office equipment, such as copy machines, printers, fax machines, computers, and peripheral devices, as well as in cameras.

In this way, die casting is an essential manufacturing method for products used in our everyday lives.

Combining Die Casting and Cutting for Versatile Manufacturing

By combining die casting, which enables the instant production of even complex shapes, with cutting, which allows for fine adjustments, a wide range of items can be manufactured, including parts that require high accuracy.

Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of die casting when manufacturing products will allow you to manufacture better products more efficiently. We hope this provides a thorough understanding of the basics of die casting and is useful for your everyday work.