What Is The Difference Between Casting And Die Casting?
Casting is a rapid manufacturing process that liquid material poured into a mold which has a hollow cavity of desired shape. Then, the part is solidified. The casting part is ejected or took out of the mold to finish the process. Casting materials are usually metals or materials mixing two or more components. For example, epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is widely used to make parts with complex shape as these parts are difficult or not economical to be produced by other manufacturing methods. For example, heavy part like machine tool, propellers and more. Casting process has around 7,000 years history. Metal casting was widely used to make tools, weapons and religious in the past. These stuffs were often made from a copper alloy with lead.
Metal casting is a process that metal is heated unit in liquid and then poured into the mold. The mold includes the desired shape, runner and risers which enable the metal to fill the mold. The mold and the metal are cooled until the metal part is solidified. The casting part is recovered from the mold. And the excess material which created by the casting process will be removed by subsequent operations.
Concrete and plastic resin casting use single use molds, multiple use molds, or other mold made of flexible material. When the plaster or concrete is being cast, the surface is flat and not transparency. Usually, some treatment will be applied to the surface. For example, painting and etching. These treatments will make the surface have metal or stone look. Casting concrete make it possible to build sculptures, fountains or outdoor seating.
Raw casting contains irregularities and access ports for pouring material into the molds. The cutting, grinding, shaving and sanding away unwanted bit is called fettling. As the technology developing, the robotic processes are able to complete repetitive parts of the fettling process. Fettling adds the cost of the resulting part significantly. Manufacturers need minimize the cost by the shape of the mold, the material being cast and decorative elements.
Die casting is a manufacturing process that force the molten metal into the mold cavity by high pressure. The mold cavity is built with two hardened too steel dies what are machined into shape and work like an injection mold during the die casting process. Zinc, copper, aluminium, magnesium, lead, pewter and tin alloys are the common materials used in die casting process. A hot or cold chamber machine will be used depends on the type pf the metal being cast. Die cast parts is simple, it involves four steps only, so the cost each item is low. Die casting is an ideal manufacturing method for small to medium size casting in high quantity. Die castings are characterized by surface finish and dimensional consistency.
Zinc, aluminium, magnesium, copper, lead, and tin are the main die casting alloys. Zinc aluminium, aluminium to are specific die casting alloys. Zinc is easy to cast and plate. It has high ductility and high impact strength. Aluminium is lightweight. It allows to cast parts with complex shapes and thin wall. It is corrosion resistant, high thermal and electrical conductive. Magnesium is the easiest metal to machine. It it extremely lightweight. It has excellent strength to weight ratio. Copper is hard. It has great corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Copper super wear resistant. Silicon tombac is the strong alloy made of copper, zinc and silicon. It is an alternative for investment cast steel parts. Lead and tin have high density. They have extremely dimensional accuracy.
Die Casting offer many advantages. Depending on the die casting materials, die casting allows to produce parts with excellent dimensional accuracy and thin walls. Die casting parts have smooth surface. With die casting, inserts such as threaded inserts, heating elements and high strength bearing surfaces can be cast in. Die casting provides rapid production rates. Die castings corrosion rates are slower than sand castings because die casting offers smoother surface.
Die casting’s main disadvantage is the high capital cost. The cost of casting equipment, dies and related components are high. To make die casting more cos-effective, high volume production is needed. Die casting process is limited to high-fluidity metals. In the standard die casting process, the final casting have a small amount of porosity.
TEAM Rapid, as a reliable Metal Die Casting Manufacturer, we offer die casting service and injection molding service. Injection molding vs die casting, which one is best for your projects, contact us at [email protected] today to get free supports today.
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