A Larger Die Casting Machine Is Not Always Better
We were approached by the customer who was experiencing double-digit fallout when machining their previous supplier’s castings, despite having it cast on a 1,200-ton or even 1,600-ton machine. The first time we looked at this part, we knew right away we could cast it on one of our 900T machines thanks to the A+ process. By industry standards, this would be too small a machine to run this part, especially for these very challenging casting quality requirements. Yet we did it: we have been shipping parts at high volume for years, with virtually no fallout, despite using a much smaller machine.
This is possible because at AMT, we know that machine size doesn’t tell the whole story. You can make bad parts with a machine of any size, and if the underlying problem is not lack of locking force, then more tonnage will not help much, or at all.
If a high-tonnage machine was all it took to ensure part quality, then the initial supplier would certainly have been able to reduce fallout to a reasonable level. Instead, their attempts to use larger machines did not yield the desired results and the customer was still facing erratic quality levels. The situation escalated to the point where machining capacity became tight and the risk of shutting down the OEM assembly line was real. That’s when AMT stepped in.
The Right Tooling…
We know that making great casting starts with great tooling. That is why tooling design and manufacturing are one of AMT’s areas of expertise. After numerous flow simulation iterations, we were able to identify a promising gating strategy and finalize the shot design. We ran thermal cycling calculations and determined the most efficient cooling/thermal management strategy for the tool. Based on part design and porosity requirements in thick zones, we determined that a 3D-printed sub-insert would be required to provide powerful cooling in specific zones. Of course, the tool would not have been complete without integrating our proprietary vacuum system.
…For The Right Process
With this AMT-designed and AMT-built tool, we were confident that we could unlock the full potential of our A+ process and reach the quality objectives that AMT sets for itself. This was confirmed very early on as initial shots were X-rayed and machined in-house (destructive tests) to show very good results. Within a few weeks, we were in full production and to this day, casting-related fallout remains almost non-existent. Within a few months, we were able to take over a problematic program that was already at full volume and turned it into a successful one for the customer. Several areas of AMT’s expertise were leveraged: program management, exceptional tooling engineering and flawless production launch to name a few. All are under the umbrella of the A+ process.
AMT Die Casting | ©2021
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