The die-casting process has become the essence of manufacturing in various industries and is therefore at the center of our supply chain strategy. Minimizing costs in this widely used process is critical to improving profitability. Learn more about the backlog of reducing die casting costs.

Die casting is the process of injecting molten material into a mold under high pressure. The casting mold is made of two halves, usually made of non-ferrous alloy of steel.


There are many factors leading to the complexity and cost of the die casting process. Here, we introduce 9 ways to design components to reduce costs:

1. Minimize undercut
Undercut refers to the shape of a part that prevents it from being pulled out of the mold without additional operations. According to whether they are located outside or inside the part, they are divided into outside and inside undercuts.

Die cutting undercuts require some side effects, which may increase the total cost by 15% to 30%. This is due to increased processing complexity and extended cycle time. Therefore, the less undercuts in the design, the more economical the die casting.

2. Minimize wall thickness
Keep the component wall thickness as close as possible to the minimum acceptable level required by the application. This reduces cycle time (injection time and cooling time) and reduces material consumption.

Reducing the amount of raw materials required is directly related to the cost of parts. Short cycle time also reduces production costs, so thin-walled is the first choice for die casting.

3. Keep the wall thickness uniform
Designing walls with different thicknesses can cause uneven cooling, which can cause deformation of the casting. They include the formation of bubbles, hot tears, spray marks, incorrect size, etc.

A large number of parts with defects are eventually piled up in the waste pile, which greatly increases the production cost. The time and resources wasted on bad products are not only wasted, but also require less efficient cycles to achieve the desired final output.

4. Use fillet and radius in the mold
Sharp corners in the design can cause stress concentration and may cause casting cracks. Avoid this by including rounded corners (inner corners) and radii (outer corners) in the design (round corners are available).

Remember that too large a radius will cause shrinkage porosity. Therefore, your design needs to use the best size.

5. Minimize the number of side movement directions
Not only did the two halves of the mold come together to form a part, but another part (or part as needed) that was moved in from the side was created. This allows the formation of an otherwise impossible surface, and the part is easily released from the mold.

This mainly refers to the use of side cores to cast parts with undercuts. In addition to the tool cost itself, each other direction usually increases the component cost by 10-20%. Even if your production requires side movements, please try to align them all to one side to reduce the cost of die casting.

5. Including proper draft angle
All component walls parallel to the parting direction need to be offset by a small angle to facilitate removal from the mold. The following are some standard draft angles based on the cast material:

Aluminum: wall 1°, inner core 2°
Magnesium: wall 0.75°, inner core 1.5°
Zinc: wall 0.5°, inner core 1°

Holes and windows require more draughts than internal and external wall features. Using incorrect draught or excluding it will cause component damage and prolong production time.

6. Including ribs (and nets)
Ribs (and webs) can increase stiffness and increase the strength of components, making parts lighter and stronger. In fact, thin ribbed walls are stronger than thick walls of uniform width. The resulting components are both lightweight and durable.
Remember to use an odd number of ribs in the design. This eliminates stress accumulation on adjacent ribs and reduces the formation of thick intersections.

7. Sturdy boss
Bosses are an indispensable feature added to castings and are often used as feet and mounting points. The boss may also refer to the mounting feature that will accommodate the screw or self-tapping screw.

Use sufficient fillets and ribs in the design to ensure that molten material can easily flow into the boss area. Avoid surface shrinkage by using ribs to connect the boss to the wall. Improperly designed bosses may lead to the need to redo the entire mold, so please pay attention to the details.

8. Determine hot room and cold room casting
The hot chamber casting machine is characterized by a built-in furnace in which the metal is heated to reach the molten state. In cold chamber casting, the metal is heated in a separate furnace before being fed into the casting machine.

Hot chamber casting can only be used for materials with low melting points. It shortens the life of the mold cavity, but accelerates the cycle time. Typical cycle time is as short as 15-20 minutes.

Materials with a high melting point require cold chamber casting. The cavity life is longer, but the cycle time is longer. The production time is usually a multiple of the casting time of the hot chamber.

Keep this in mind when choosing the casting material and type of parts.



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