The die casting die, or mold, is a closed vessel into which molten metal is injected under high pressure and temperature, then rapidly cooled until the solidified part is sufficiently rigid to permit ejection from the mold.
For longevity of
operation in this environment the die casting die must be built from
high-quality tool steel, heat-treated to the required hardness and structure,
with dimensions of the die and cavity machined to exacting specifications. The
two die halves run in a die casting machine that is operated at the required
temperatures and pressures to produce a quality part to net-shape or
near-net-shape customer specifications.
The
customer’s product design requirements directly affect the size, type, features,
and cost of the required tooling. The items involved in the tooling decision
include the number of cavities, number of core or slide requirements, weight of
the die, machining, finish requirements, polishing and plating to name just a
few. A convenient checklist of die construction considerations, intended for
use in discussion with your custom die caster, appears at the end of this
section.
Explanation
of the most important terms related to die design are given in the following
sections of this chapter. A complete glossary of die casting terms appears at
the end of this volume.
The
discussion in this section provides a guide to aid the die casting specifier in
understanding the requirements of the die caster that will be necessary to
produce the optimum die casting, by the most economical production methods.
The various alloys available for die casting, from aluminum to
zinc, require unique and special features in the die that produces them.
Because of these differences, the descriptions and parameters described in
this text are generic. Where possible, options are listed but should be used
only as a general guide, with the final decisions discussed between the
customer and the die caster.
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