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Die Casting
Every day in our lives we use die casting material but are completely oblivious to the process that is in place. Thousands of manufactures use this die casting to come up with daily items such as toys for children and even equipments that change our very method of working. Die casting has certainly provided the human race with a plethora of products that are incorporated into major appliances and automobile industry.
Conceptually, casting is a manufacturing process and requires articulate calculations to create the required outputs. This process injects liquid material into different moulds to solidify the mould. The amalgamation results in different fabricated parts. The primal benefit of casting process allows manufactures to create specific parts that are not economically feasible to create on the general assembly line. Million of parts that are made via die casting process could not have been achieved otherwise since the cost of producing certain items are not economical or even production possible. Any form of casting is a labor intensive process that requires a specific skill set. All processes from temperature building, quantity and quality of the liquid to be injected, form and shape of the mould, to the coolness technique of the output products all require specific skill sets. Without an accomplished team, it become very difficult for die casting manufactures to delivery quality products.
Die casting is a similar process in which molten metal is put under high pressure into the cavities of steel molds. The molds are called dies. The dies also come in different shapes and varieties in properties. Die casting process is heavily used in the automotive industry to create different body parts. Australia’s auto industry supports a large local die casting business, manufacturing parts that include cylinders, pistons and engine sumps etc. A very similar growing industry also flourishes in Korea as well since Korea is home to a large number of automotive manufactures. Die casting is one of the most efficient means of producing car parts since it is more feasible than the older versions of liquid casting and other strenuous techniques. Die casting has allowed for the substantial growth in mass production of automotives as well as parts for airplanes and trains as well.
Flourishing economies of scale also come with its price and challenges. Mergers and alliances are now a common practice in die casting manufacturing countries to streamline and hone processes to cater to the booming economy and mass productivity requirements. The die process entails four major steps that are required to be followed sequentially. The first step is to spray the mold with any form of lubricant and then close the mould. Different lubricants are used as per the requirement of the finished good. There are several benefits of using lubricant in the process. The lubricant both helps control the temperature of the die and it also assists in the removal of the casting. Effective lubricant can be the differentiator factor of average versus customer centric products. Molten metal is then injected into the die under high pressure. The high pressure assures a casting as precise and as smooth as the mold. This stage requires extreme caution in regarding to the pressure and checking of any defects in the mold. Once the cavity is filled then the pressure is maintained until the casting has become solid (though this period is usually made short as possible by water cooling the mold). There are also different ways of cooling the mold water cooling being one of them. It typically takes a lengthy amount of time to cool down the molds if left simply to nature. In order to expedite the end product, different cooling techniques are used. Finally, the die is opened and the casting is ejected. This is the entire process of the die casting procedures.
The clamping efficiency defines the quality of the machines that are used in the die casting manufacturing process. Typical sizes of the die casting machines range from 100 to 4,000 tons. Along with the massive weights also comes a gigantic size associated with the machines. Majority of the machines can be as large as regular home sizes in any city of the world. Irrespective of size, there are primarily two types of categories of die casting machinery. One is the hot chamber machines for zinc, magnesium and lower melting-point metals and the other is the cold chamber machines for aluminum (http://automobile.dmc.co.kr/eng/Aluminum-Die-Casting-Manufacturer.asp ) and higher melting-point metals. A die casting machine automatically opens and closes the mold and injects the liquid metal, all under high pressure and as rapidly as possible, in the case of zinc up to several hundred times an hour. This time line is also dependent upon the machinery features and the vendor. Extensive research and work has taken place to hone the die casting manufacturing machine features and make it more simple and cost effective both in terms of pricing and productivity. There are several key milestones that all die manufactures are looking anxiously to reduce. Time to produce the end product, minimize quantity of goods used in the entire process and enhance the overall skill set of individuals are all the key elements that need improvement. The anticipated reduction is approximately 30% – 40%, but the overall reduction is around 20% and that too in the human resource department. Engineers are now being trained on specialized avenues in die casting which helps in reducing the overall human resources required.
One of the ongoing challenges with die casting is detecting surface and sub surface defects within specific timelines. Defects and variances in the final products are still on the high end. Due to the high number of defects and variance, a large amount of raw material is lost and put forth as waste. Vendors have realized this gap in identifying the defects and variances during the process. Fully automatic machines are now being manufactured to cater to this ongoing challenge. A fully automatic fault detecting machine named CAST vision has been produced and a prototype process is in place for extended in-plant on-line trials. This is the third year of this project and it is giving good results. The result of algorithm which was designed and developed in 2nd year has been put to test now. By prototyping the CAST team had designed and developed a working system CAST vision. This can discriminate between good and defective parts.
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Die Casting: The Process And The Techniques, Part 2
There are several secondary steps which may need to be taken once the casting is removed, such as removing excess metal and smoothing rough surfaces. However, die casting can create pieces of metal as thin as 1mm wide in these four simple steps, which makes it a more economic process than using stamping presses or machine tools that require the operation of multiple pieces of large machinery for metalwork.
The Life of a Die
A die casting die is built to do several things, each of equal importance, and quite often the die itself cannot produce a completed final product. While a die holds the liquid metal inside itself to create a cast, there also must be a place for the metal to enter the die and reach the inside. This means that when the metal cools, there will be small pieces of unwanted metal attached to the final cast called flash, which will need to be removed by hand or secondary machine.
Hydraulic presses can be used to remove the flash or scrap, while an older technique is to just saw off the flash by hand. A casting may need to be sanded or ground down to remove mold lines, and if any extra holes for screws or undercutting is necessary, this must be done outside of the die as well.
Die casting machines can apply a clamping force that ranges from 100 to 4,000 psi, and are typically divided into categories according to the type of metals they can cast. Hot chamber dies can cast metals with lower melting points, such as zinc, while cold chamber dies cast metals with higher melting points like aluminum.
Die casting dies typically have a lengthy lifespan, however over the course of several hundred thousand heatings and coolings, the dies’ properties may begin to shift and weaken. Dies which make castings from aluminum and its alloys tend to have a shorter lifespan, simply due to the temperature required to make aluminum casts, while cold chamber dies tend to last almost indefinitely. Die sets for casting brass objects are extremely short-lived, and need to be replaced frequently, regardless of the strength of the cast.
Home Metal Casting
The Importance of Iron Casting in the New Automotive Industry
One of the most efficient and economical means of shaping metal into a particular form is called casting- a process in which metal is heated to a molten state can be poured into a mold of choice and left to harden by foundry workers. Malleable iron is made from white cast iron by “cooking” it at temperatures from 1,500 too 1,850 degrees Fahrenheit over several days. This enables the iron carbide to break up, producing rosettes of graphite in the process. This particular iron is known for it’s strength, pliability, shock resistance, and it’s ability to be machined. This is one of the more popular ways of producing engine blocks, valves and iron ornaments among other items for the automotive and agricultural industries, plus many bits and pieces for the military.
Even on the most blustery winter day with every window open, casting iron is very hot, sweaty work. The temperatures of the raw materials heating up to an average of 2,850 degrees Fahrenheit (or more) can have quite the warming effect within the surrounding atmosphere.
In recent years, both the iron casting and the automotive industries have gone through some significant changes. For starters, the current higher than expected oil prices have created a demand for a smaller, lighter style of passenger vehicle. The result is a rise in car imports, leaving the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) market and it’s heavy, automotive parts with a less than positive outlook. New fuel economy standards are expected to drive the renovation of iron blocks, suspension castings and carriers to aluminum in light trucks and increase the development of all lightweight metals.
2005 saw only a slight growth in the production of light vehicles, metal casting shipments rose almost 5% from 2004 to 2006 to over 14 million tons. This increase is expected to continue through the next few years to meet demand.
Many manufacturers in the United States are substituting plastics, ceramics, composites, lighter alloys, malleable iron in appliances, aerospace equipment and automotive components to help them compete in a global economy and to meet government regulations. Cast iron usage per passenger car and lightweight truck was approximately 600 pounds in 1980. By 1999, the usage had dropped to 325 pounds and industrial analysts estimated that usage could drop to under 200 pounds per vehicle within the next year.
All combined metal casting sales are estimated at $32.93 billion in 2005, and are forecast to increase to $37.67 billion by 2008, and then rise to $42.6 billion in 2015.
DIY Metal Casting
Water Jet Cutting
Water can cut metals. Sounds impossible, but is true. Water jet cutting is a process of cutting the sheets of metals with a high-pressure stream of water containing some abrasive particles. Water jet cutting can yield any 2D shape from metal sheets. It can cut any metal sheet between the thickness ranges of 0.001” to 4”.
CNC water jet cutting is the computer mediated water jet cutting process. In this, the user has to draw the design to which the metal sheet needs to be cut and the software for the CNC water jet cutting process follows it to cut the metal sheet to that particular shape. CNC water jet cutting is advantageous, as it does not release any heat during the cutting process that may distort the cut edges of the metal sheet. It cuts smooth edges and hence does not any further finishing, although deburring may be specified.
The process also does not release any poisonous gas and is thus very safe. CNC machining falls short to water jet cutting at the points that it produces the distorting heat while cutting the edges and also it wastes a lot of metal during the tearing process. Laser cutting can be a great alternative if you want to cut a thin metal sheet. Plasma cutting can be used, but due to the high temperature, there is a greater chance of heat distortion of the metal.
Water jet cutting can cut almost any material like steel, carbon, aluminum, metal alloys, brass, copper, magnesium, titanium, plywood, rubber, glass, wood, gasket material, laminates, foam, marble, fiberglass, etc. Because a robot rather than a human handles CNC water jet cutting, it is cheaper being somewhat free of human labor except for set-up. Plus, it has high accuracy and repeatability.
If you want to know more about the various processes of designing machine parts, please visit eMachineShop. This website is the first of its kind, supplying you the machine parts through the web. We have CAD software for you to download free. You simply download and draw the part or shape that you require and order it. We supply virtually any range of machine parts. Do not worry if you are new. Using the eMachineShop Design software is easy and has additional features to guide the user. It does not matter whether you need a single part or a thousand parts. We will supply you whatever you need with great convenience and ease. Visit the site www.emachineshop.com and get more details about water jet cutting, laser cut and the services offered.
Hobby Metal Casting
Zinc, Magnesium, & Aluminum Die Casting by Del Mar Industries
Watch television, build a home, ride a bike—you have used a piece of equipment made with aluminum die casting. Aerospace and automotive, home appliance and builders, medical and music, consumer electronics and telecommunications are but a few types of worldwide clients of Del Mar Industries, DMI. Aluminum die casting affects the quality of everyone’s life. The highest standards possible are the hallmark of Del Mar Industries, a full service provider of value added castings and plating processes. DMI has built a reputation for ingenuity, responsiveness, and reliability.
Del Mar’s three operating divisions are certified to the latest ISO 9001:2000 quality standard, emphasizing customer focus, product quality, and continuous improvement. Del Mar Die Casting, a hot process company, specializes in casting zinc and magnesium alloys. Los Angeles Die Casting, a cold chamber process, specializes in aluminum castings utilizing a wide range of aluminum alloys with the capability of producing casting sizes from 1 square inch to a size of approximately 16” x 22”. Both DMDC and LADC offer a full range of secondary operations including the ability to provide different finishes, assembly operations, and specialized packaging. Gardena Plating Co. provides plating and coating processes utilizing barrel (bulk) production techniques and offers conversion coatings for both aluminum and zinc die castings, and the ability to provide various surface preparations and a variety of substrate processes and a wide range of finishing choices. Zinc castings can be the size of a dime to medium size castings with a footprint of about 12″ x 16″. Magnesium castings can vary in size up to a footprint of 12” x 16” as well. DMI has achieved the ISO 14000 certification, a rigid standard for environmental protection.
Their commitment to continuous quality improvement begins with advanced quality planning. Every job begins with an advanced quality plan formulated by an internal project team and consists of identifying key part and process parameters. An independent laboratory is employed to ensure the purity of the metal used in castings. Every part must pass a documented first piece and hourly in-process quality inspection performed by a team of inspectors using a full array of inspection tools. To be assured of the high quality results, look to Del Mar Industries to meet your demands.
Del Mar Industries is comprised of three operating divisions – Del Mar Die Casting Co.(Zinc Die Casting & Magnesium Die Casting), Los Angeles Die Casting Co. and Gardena Plating Co. To ensure that its customers receive the highest quality Die Casting possible all three divisions have been certified to the quality standards ISO 9001:2000.
Home Metal Casting
Die Casting Information, Die Casting Defined, And Types Of Die Casting
Die casting is the method used for forcing molten metal into mold cavities under high pressure. Die casting is very versatile and hence, is the widest used method for casting a metal. Die casting is same as permanent mold casting the only difference is that the metal is injected into the mold at very high pressure of 10-210 Mpa. This results in a more uniform part, usually good dimensional accuracy and also good surface finish.
The different metals and alloys that can be used in die casting are zinc, aluminum, copper, magnesium, tin and lead. Ferrous metals can also be used for die casting, die casting method is generally used for applications in which a large quantity is medium or small sized parts are required with detail, good dimension and fine surface finish.
There are namely two equipments used for die casting cold chamber and hot chamber process.
Cold Chamber process: In the cold chamber category of die casting, a cold chamber of each module is filled with molten metal. The time exposure provided for the molten metal to plunge the walls of the mold is less. This clod chamber process method is very useful for metals like aluminum, copper and metals that easily alloy with iron at high temperatures.
Hot Chamber process: In the hot chamber process method of die casting, the pressure that is connected to the die cavity is forever and permanently in molten metal. As the plunger moves towards the open position that is towards the non – pressurized area, the inlet port connected to the pressurizing cylinder is uncovered.
The die casting molds which are used in this method are expensive and take usually take long production time. These die casting modules are also called as “dies’
Advantages of Die Casting: The method of die casting gives excellent dimensional accuracy. The dimensional accuracy is as good as 0.1mm for the first 2.5cms and 0.005 for the first inch. Die casting also provides with smooth cast surfaces. Small and thin walls and can be made using the method of die casting walls as tiny as 0.75mm approximately can be casted. Inserts like thread insert, high strength bearing surfaces and heating elements can also be inserted using the Die Casting method. Die casting also helps in reducing or even completely eliminating the use of secondary machining operations. The use of Die Casting method also helps to reduce the production time and a huge number of articles can be produced in a very short time. Die casting method also helps to retain as well as increase the tensile strength of the metal. It offers tensile strength as high as 415 MPa that is 60ksi.
Disadvantages of Die Casting: The casting weight is very less hardly between 30 grams and 10 kgs. Also the size of the material that needs to be casted using the Die Casting method needs to small say around 600mm. the process of Die Casting requires high budget and can pile up high initial cost. Die Casting method makes the metal porous up to some extent. In the Die Casting method the thickest section needs to be less than 13mm or 0.5 inches.
Aluminum Metal Casting
Characteristics of Nigerian Art
Art is an amazing way to get to know a previously unknown culture. It often reflects cultural diversity as well as religious and ethnic origin. There are many unique societies throughout the globe and art is a way to bring them all a little closer to home. Nigerian art is certainly an excellent method to learn more about that ancient and fascinating region. Like many forms of traditional African art, Nigerian art reflects that society’s need for beautiful as well functional pieces. Many of the art forms created today in Nigeria have their roots firmly planted in the traditions and methods of their forbearers. The Nigerian people are proud of their art and artists and it shows in their dedication to the visual, audio, and performed art forms.
Traditional Nigerian art has been dated as far back as 2000 years. There are examples of this work in sculpture, paintings, and the most well known masks. Some classic examples of materials used in these ancient artifacts are wood, bronze, and coppers. Fortunately for the modern world pieces can be seen in countless museums around the world. Traditional music and dance can be heard and seen in religious and cultural events throughout the year.
As previously noted, African art is often functional as well as beautiful. The Kano dye pits are an example of the ancient world meeting the modern one. The same techniques that have been used for thousands of years are still used to create these fabric works of art. Indigo and vegetable dyes are used to make intricate patterns on the cloth. When the material is beaten for a shiny appearance, the artists are implementing the same methods their ancestors did. This fabric is still very much in demand by locals and foreigners alike. The Kano style of textile is one of the most popular form of modern Nigerian art.
Much of contemporary Nigerian art could be described as some of the finest craftsmanship in the world. For generations artisans have created majestic pieces that reflect the African heritage and are a direct link of the many natural resources found in the region. Some of these sculptures and other forms of art have been made for use in ceremonial rituals and celebrations. It seems that everything that comes from this region is art in one form or another. The elaborate costumes and stunning jewelry are all crafted with excellent workmanship, talent, and patience. Nigerian artists were some of the first in the world to perfect the craft of metal casting. Other forms of Nigerian art are leatherwork and intricate wood carvings.
Like most of the other regions in Africa, Nigeria has made its mark and created a name for itself in the art world with its rich tradition of finely made art. The usefulness and beauty of this region’s offerings is awe inspiring. Nigerian art is a wonderful blend of tradition and modern elements that result in a stunning visual display in so many different mediums. The beautiful culture shines through in each and every piece.
Mr. Moyo Ogundipe has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Master of Fine Art degree in Painting from The Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA.
One of Africa’s most celebrated and renowned Nigerian artists, Mr. Ogundipe has exhibited extensively in Africa, Europe and the USA. His paintings have been described as hypnotic, colorful and densely patterned.
In 1996, Mr. Ogundipe was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Fellowship. And in 2005 he was invited to become a member of Africobra, an organization founded in the 1960s and whose membership comprises of distinguished African-American artists.
Find and buy affordable black art from Moyo Ogundipe at www.Maigida.com.
A Step-by-Step Look At Aluminum Casting
Aluminum casting begins with an idea, an idea for a new aluminum product. The person who has visualized the product, one that can be made from aluminum, must share his or her idea. The idea creator develops a sample product or a drawing, one that makes clear his or her conceptualized product.
Yet before any factory begins to make aluminum castings, the conceptualized product must be evaluated. Does it meet the quality standards recognized by the aluminum industry? Can it be manufactured using available technology? What tools and machines are needed to make the conceptualized product?
After an evaluation of the conceptualized product, industry experts might offer some suggestions. They might propose changes that would facilitate manufacture of the conceived product. They might point out ways that the proposed product could be made more functional. They might suggest changes that could lower production costs.
Before moving on to the next step, the idea creator and the evaluators put their heads together. They introduce into future plans whatever changes all see as necessary. Each of those changes is then introduced into a software program.
In the 21st Century, those who take part in the aluminum casting process rely on information obtained by using an iron mold. That mold is made through dependence on computerized numeric control (CNC). A CNC program guides the machinery that makes the iron mold.
Iron, a stable and long, lasting metal, holds the aluminum used in the first casting. Following that casting the customer examines the product obtained from the mold. If the customer approves of the sample coming from the first casting, then, full-scale aluminum casting is ready to commence.
Factory workers pour a coating into the iron mold. That coating reduces the wear on the mold. The coating prepares the mold for a long sequence of aluminum casting.
Each round in the long sequence of aluminum castings initiates with the melting of an aluminum alloy. The alloy is exposed to temperatures of 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. The alloy melts, and workers ladle the molten metal into the iron mold.
After the iron mold can hold no more liquid, the molten metal is allowed to cool. Once the metal and mold have cooled, the iron cast is removed. At that point, finishing work on the caste aluminum commences.
Sometimes, the product of an aluminum casting must undergo debarring. Sometimes it must undergo sanding or grinding. Sometimes the caste aluminum becomes the focus of plating or powder coating.
In the end, the aluminum casting serves as the key step in the formation of a usable product. It is a product that began in the mind of a free-thinking man or woman. It is a product that has the qualities industry experts viewed as fundamental to the product’s function.
Because the aluminum product was caste from an iron mold, it can be re-caste again and again. The desirable features in the finished product can be enjoyed by many. Those features can be reproduced over and over, using the aluminum casting process.
Casting Furnace
Aluminum Die Casting Manufacturer
One of the most widely used materials in the die casting industry is Aluminum. Aluminum die casting has been an extremely flourishing industry in all parts of the world generating parts and items that have become house hold items and daily requirements tools for the masses. Aluminum die casting manufacturing units produce a plethora of products ranging from parts in automobile industries all the way to tools that are heavily used in the construction industry.
Aluminum die casting is also different from other metal die casting (http://automobile.dmc.co.kr/eng/die-casting.asp ) processes in several ways that make aluminum die casting a widely used industry standard. The primary difference is the type of mold that is being used in the Aluminum die casting manufacturing plants. The other difference in the manufacturing units is the processes and procedures used through which molten metal is delivered to the die. Other die casting manufacturing processes do not provide this type of output. Though molds can certainly be manufactured by an extensive variety of materials, dies are only made of metal. And steel is the predominant die for almost the entire die casting manufacturing units. In almost all the molds that are currently used in the industry ranging from, plaster, iron, steel, and polystyrene, Steel is the only element used as a die. The third difference between aluminum die casting and other forms of die casting is that in Aluminum die casting, the die is filed with molten metal. The metal is filled under very strong degrees of pressure in order to ensure a proper filling into the die. In many die casting processes, the liquid metal is simply poured into the die by gravity only. This technique used in the aluminum die casting manufacturing processes enables the manufacturers to substantially produce larger volumes of cast products than any other form of die casting. The ability of mass production and quality has made aluminum die casting process a standard among the thousands of manufactures busy in producing various products for different industries. The top priority of many nascent die manufactures is to fully equip the plant with aluminum die casting. Other die casting manufacturing machines become a second best in the industry.
How large is the global Aluminum die casting manufacturing segment of the market? According to a recently published U.S. Census Bureau there are more than 300 aluminum die casting manufacturing units operational in the United States alone. A good 500 units are set up in China that are producing the world’s largest aluminum die casting by products and supplying the products to all segments of the market. Korea and Australia are both flourishing economies of scale and are rapidly ramping up their total number of units to cater to the ongoing demands of the market. The US Census Bureau reports also states that the Industry-wide employment in 2000 totaled 27,051 workers receiving a payroll of more than 896 million dollar. Within this workforce, 22,621 of these employees worked in production, putting in more than 46 million hours to earn wages of more than 678 million dollar. Overall shipments for the industry were valued at almost 3.9 billion dollar in 2001. And the numbers are growing. A very similar pattern is seen from the Chinese aluminum die casting manufacturing segment. The 500 factories in China proclaim a 58,000 work force dedicated in producing a variety of different aluminum die casting products. Since the die casting industry is skill intensive the salaries of the workers in the manufacturing units are comparitively higher than other manufacturing plants. The average aluminum die casting manufacturing machines alone is as big as regular sized homes in any part of the world. The weight and size of such gigantic machinery requires sufficient and well educated staff to monitor, maintain and expand such machineries.
Since the aluminum die casting industry is growing at such an exponential rate so is the vendor industry that is manufacturing the units for the aluminum die casting markets. Herman Doehler, founder of Doehler-Jarvis, developed the first die-casting machine around the turn of the twentieth century. It was in 1915 when the first commercially produced aluminum die-casting manufacturing machinery was shipped to the manufacturing plants. 1915- 1940 were the years in which the manufactures were able to gear up their features in the machinery and align their machineries with the business requirements. Extensive work and feedback from the manufacturing plants provided the turning point for the aluminum die casting machinery. The machines started becoming more user friendly as well as catering to the exponential demand from the market. During the same time span the aluminum die casting market grew at rates of more than 200 percent as compared to other manufacturing industries. In 1946, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that aluminum die-casting production totaled 73 million pounds, representing about 16 percent of the total die-casting production for all metals that year.
During the years between 1915 and the late 1940’s, different materials were used to cater to the demands in the market. Zinc was a predominant component in the overall die casting market. It was not until the late 1960’s that aluminum surpassed the zinc die casting manufacturing requirements. Throughout the 1970s, aluminum production continued to expand dramatically, and, by 1988, aluminum die-casting production reached the 1.5 billion-pound mark. Ever since Aluminum surpassed zinc as a material to be used in the die casting industry, it never saw a substantial competitor in the market. Even as The die-casting industry entered the 1990s; aluminum remained in the top position. The primal reason behind the success of aluminum as an acceptable material in the die casting manufacturing industry was the various advantages of this material in the manufacturing plants. For example, aluminum die-castings weighed about 60 percent less than identical iron products, resisted corrosion, and were stronger than permanent mold or sand castings. Automated production methods produced high quantities at low per-unit costs. By the late 1990s, the automotive industry had discovered the benefits of aluminum and consequently became the largest market for aluminum castings, buying 25 percent of all aluminum produced and nearly one-half of all aluminum die castings produced.
With such a large global market, there are different aluminum die casting vendors in the market. Leading this industry in overall sales was ACX Technologies Inc. of Golden, Colorado with 1998 sales of over 988 million dollar on the strength of 5,600 workers. Another industry leader in terms of innovation is Doehler-Jarvis, inventors of the first die-casting machine.
For more information about Aluminum Die Casting Manufacturer visit: http://automobile.dmc.co.kr/eng/Aluminum-Die-Casting-Manufacturer.asp
The Importance of Iron Casting in the New Automotive Industry
One of the most efficient and economical means of shaping metal into a particular form is called casting- a process in which metal is heated to a molten state can be poured into a mold of choice and left to harden by foundry workers. Malleable iron is made from white cast iron by “cooking” it at temperatures from 1,500 too 1,850 degrees Fahrenheit over several days. This enables the iron carbide to break up, producing rosettes of graphite in the process. This particular iron is known for it’s strength, pliability, shock resistance, and it’s ability to be machined. This is one of the more popular ways of producing engine blocks, valves and iron ornaments among other items for the automotive and agricultural industries, plus many bits and pieces for the military.
Even on the most blustery winter day with every window open, casting iron is very hot, sweaty work. The temperatures of the raw materials heating up to an average of 2,850 degrees Fahrenheit (or more) can have quite the warming effect within the surrounding atmosphere.
In recent years, both the iron casting and the automotive industries have gone through some significant changes. For starters, the current higher than expected oil prices have created a demand for a smaller, lighter style of passenger vehicle. The result is a rise in car imports, leaving the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) market and it’s heavy, automotive parts with a less than positive outlook. New fuel economy standards are expected to drive the renovation of iron blocks, suspension castings and carriers to aluminum in light trucks and increase the development of all lightweight metals.
2005 saw only a slight growth in the production of light vehicles, metal casting shipments rose almost 5% from 2004 to 2006 to over 14 million tons. This increase is expected to continue through the next few years to meet demand.
Many manufacturers in the United States are substituting plastics, ceramics, composites, lighter alloys, malleable iron in appliances, aerospace equipment and automotive components to help them compete in a global economy and to meet government regulations. Cast iron usage per passenger car and lightweight truck was approximately 600 pounds in 1980. By 1999, the usage had dropped to 325 pounds and industrial analysts estimated that usage could drop to under 200 pounds per vehicle within the next year.
All combined metal casting sales are estimated at $32.93 billion in 2005, and are forecast to increase to $37.67 billion by 2008, and then rise to $42.6 billion in 2015.
Back Yard Metal Casting
