Natural, lightweight, durable and recyclable

A natural raw material, aluminium is the third most abundant metal and is almost ubiquitous on the planet - around 8% of the earth's crust is made up of aluminium. The material is extremely durable and is coated shortly after production with an oxide layer that prevents corrosion. This makes aluminium an ideal material for applications requiring a long service life. It is even suitable for harsh applications and wet environments.

Due to their low weight, the use of aluminium components reduces the fuel consumption of the vehicle. Due to its durability and 100% recyclability, aluminium often makes more ecological sense in the long run than alternative materials.

Aluminium Die Casting Process

The upfront investment in tooling can be higher than other casting processes, therefore high pressure die casting is often used for high volume casting applications. The benefits of the die casting process are that it can produce castings with thinner wall thicknesses, maintain tighter casting tolerances and achieve better surface finishes than other casting methods.

Extrusion pin technology

As die castings cool, shrinkage holes may form in heavy masses or isolated areas of the casting. This is due to the thinner walled parts of the casting and the 'freezing' of the gate preventing continuous pressure and re-shrinkage in the heavier mass areas as these areas continue to cool. Shrinkage porosity can lead to exposed porosity in leak paths or on machined surfaces.

Remedy ...... extrusion pins. While the casting is cooling in the mould and the aluminium is semi-solid, we use the extrusion pin technique to deploy a specially designed pin directly into the part. The extrusion pins displace the material in the casting at very high pressure. The displacement of the material significantly increases the pressure in the local area of the cavity. This extreme pressure increases the integrity of the casting in areas where minimum porosity is required.

For many product designs, extrusion pin technology is the solution for repeatable pressure sealing and leak-free casting.

Aluminium Die Casting Applications

Some common die-casting applications include

Air cylinders

Aluminium housings

Heat sinks

Covers

Electrical enclosures

Electrical transmission equipment

Fan blades and hubs

Gearboxes

Gearboxes

Wire collectors

Hydraulic cylinders

Impellers

Manifolds

Marine components

Oil sump

Piston team

Pressure housings

Pump assemblies

Suspension components

Transfer passage plate

Valve body

Valve housings

Wind turbines