Where would we be without metal? These useful materials are just about one of the best tools on the planet outside of food and water, giving us just about everything we need to live our most comfortable life. From the framing on your bed to the fork you use to eat…when you think about it, we wouldn’t get very far without the bountiful uses metal provides for us. The die casting process is but a modern means of achieving this very old human tradition of making the most out of the least. It’s eco-friendly, highly flexible and a great way to create a lot of equipment in a short amount of time.
Feel like brushing up on some manufacturing know-how? Let’s talk die cast products.
What Is Die Casting?
What are the advantages of die casting? Let’s learn what it’s actually for, first. The die casting process is used to create all sorts of parts and tools, characterized by combining a classic injection process with high volumes of molten metal. Just add a little pressure with a pinch of love and you have a recipe for some of the highest quality equipment on the face of the earth. American die caster manufacturers contribute over $8 billion to the country’s economy every year. How’s that for progress?
How Does Die Casting Work?
Metal may be useful, but it’s certainly not sweet. To mold it you need exorbitantly high pressure and temperature to get it soft enough to change. Zinc is the easiest metal to cast, with zinc alloys having an average melting range of 380 to 390 degrees or so. The two types of die casting machines available on the market are the hot-chamber and the cold-chamber, each with their unique positives and negatives. Copper is preferred for its incredible hardness, though lead can provide a density unmatched by nearly any other kind of metal. Magnesium, of course, remains a fan-favorite across the board for its ease of use.
When Was Die Casting Invented?
Ancient cave dwellers sharpened rocks and sticks to help them hunt, fight and gather. The die casting process is an up-to-date way of making sure we can get everything we need in the most efficient way possible. Die casting equipment was invented over 150 years ago, designed with the express purpose of producing large amounts of movable type for printing industries. Over 90% of the aluminum used in both building and automotive parts will be recycled, meaning you can scratch that eco-friendly itch even as you make a headlong run toward the future.
What Metals Are Used In The Die Casting Process?
We’re not talking about rock music! Metal is a flexible and tough material that’s used in nearly everything you interact with. Your phone, your car, your computer, you name it. Aluminum is still one of the most recycled materials on the planet and boasts a consistent rate of 75% reused and remade every year. Aluminum also accounts for over 80% of all die cast parts, followed close behind by zinc and copper. Die casting parts used throughout the auto industry are 100% recyclable without a reduction in quality. This is just one of many reasons to stick with what you know best.
Why Should We Keep Using The Die Casting Process?
Do you enjoy the smooth function of your car? Do you like having elegant and long-lasting equipment in your garage? Thank your local zinc die casting supplier for that. Die casting is still the best method of creating cleaner, safer and more efficient cars. The metalcasting industry supplies nearly 100 castings for every lightweight vehicle produced in the United States, meaning wasted money and excess materials are a thing of the past. Castings are used in nearly 90% of all manufactured products and the advent of accessible printing services hints at an even brighter future just around the corner.
Recyclable, efficient and fast. Our ancestors could only dream.
