Basic Concepts In The Designing Of

Pressure Diecasting Dies

P.Sukumaran Menon.
4M DYNAMIKS Bangalore.

4M DYNAMIKS Bangalore
08-Mar-12 [email protected] 1
 AIM OF THIS PROGRAM

Basic design concepts to improve the performance

of the Diecasting Die by effective designing of

runner, gate, overflow and air vents.

To attain required flow characteristics and thereby

get sound Components.

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 REQUIREMENTS FOR DIE CASTING

1. Modern Machine with Automation and of required Tonnage.

2. Shot / Process monitoring facilities.

3. Melting source & Good Melting practice validated with

Density Index Analyser.

4. Well designed die using Flow simulation analysis

5. Required alloy

6. Trained personnel.

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 SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS IN DIE CASTING PROCESS

DYCOTE SPRAYING

PLUNGER LUBE APPLICATION

DIE CLOSING

METAL LADLING AT REQUIRED TEMPERATURE

METAL INJECTION WITH WELL DEFINED & OPTIMISED PROCESS PARAMETER

SOLIDIFICATION

DIE OPENING

COMPONENT EJECTION & EXTRACTION

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 COLD CHAMBER DIE CASTING TECHNOLOGY
3 Phase Injection

I PHASE:
The metal is slowly brought up to
the gate in accordance with shot
volume.

II PHASE:
The metal is rapidly injected in
to the die and fills out the entire
cavity.

III PHASE:
Intensification of the fluid metal
In the die under high pressure i.e.
400 to 1000 bar in very short time.
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 COLD CHAMBER DIE CASTING

TYPES OF FLOW

1. LAMINAR FLOW :

2. TURBULANT FLOW :

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 The Diecasting Die

The die casting die 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, the die casting die must be built from high-
quality tool steel, heat-treated to the required hardness,
with dimensions of the die and cavity machined to
exacting specifications.

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 The Diecasting Die

The two die halves run in a die casting machine to

produce a quality part to net-shape or near-net-
shape specifications.

The customer’s product design requirements

directly affect the size, type, features, and cost of
the required tooling.

The factors for tool design include the number of

cavities, number of side cores, machining, finish
requirements, etc.

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 The Diecasting Die

Types of Die Casting Dies

There are various types of die casting dies and each

serves a critical need for the customer. The choice of
which type of die casting die the customer requires is
usually determined by the following:

• Size of the part to be cast

• Volume of parts required – annual requirement.
• Requirements for “family” sets of parts
• Desirability of side-cores / sliders.
• Requirements for cast-in inserts.

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 TYPES OF DIES

SINGLE CAVITY : One part per shot.

MULTIPLE CAVITIES:
To produce a number of identical cavities.

UNIT DIE:
A unit die is a lower cost production tool that has a
standardized main die frame and replaceable cavity units.
These replaceable units are designed to be removed from
the main die frame without removing the standard frame
from the die casting machine.

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 TYPES OF DIES

FAMILY DIE:
Comprising of multiple cavities of different product parts
that go into a single assembly. The disadvantage with
this concept is that casting flow and fill characteristics
vary for each cavity.

RAPID TOOLING / PROTOTYPE DIES:

Rapid Tooling or Prototype dies are usually requested by
the customer to produce a small number of castings
under production conditions. They enable thorough
product testing and market exposure before committing
to full production dies.

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 STEPS IN DIE CASTING DIE
DESIGN

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 Basic Principals of Flow Technology
Turbulent Free Flow In The Die Is Influenced By:

LOCATION OF GATE (Angle of Impact, least line of resistance)

PARTING LINE Placement: Cover and Ejector Die Halves

GATE VELOCITY (Most Dies: 30 – 60 m/sec)

LOCATION OF SWITCH-OVER POINT TO THE FILLING PHASE

– Also known as “Inflexion Point”.

METAL VELOCITY AT ENTERING THE DIE

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 Basic Principals of Flow Technology

METAL TEMPERATURE & VISCOSITY

DIE TEMPERATURE ( 150˚ – 250˚ C)

SPRAY FILM (Optimum atomization)

The Die filling is ideal if it is possible to completely

fill die cavity with metal which is still liquid & to
expel the air thru Overflows & Air Vents.

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 •Make sure part design is
RECEIPT OF DRAWINGS / MODEL
suitable for casting.
/ SAMPLE COMPONENT ETC.
•Determine quality

1. BASED ON THE MACHINE

DETERMINATION OF PARTING LINE AVAILABLE
2. VOLUME REQUIREMENT AND
& NO. OF CAVITIES REQUIRED
COST INVOLVEMENT
3. SURFACE AREA REQUIREMENT

BASED ON
MACHINE SELECTION 1. SHOT WEIGHT
2. TONNAGE REQUIREMENT

SIMULATION & THERMIC LAYOUT

PLUNGER DIAMETER SELECTION BASED ON FILLING RATIO

(with component Weight )

A
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 A
BASED ON SHUT HEIGHT
DIE HEIGHT REQUIREMENT OF THE MACHINE

BASED ON COMPONENT
COVER DIE THICKNESS SELECTION CONSTRUCTION AND STROKE
LENGTH OF THE PLUNGER

GATE POINT SELECTION

BASED ON
1. COMPONENT GEOMETRY
DESIGNING OF GATE 2. MOVING CORE
REQUIREMENTS

DESIGNING OF RUNNER

DESIGNING OF AIR VENT

DESIGNING OF OVERFLOW

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 Casting Features for Die Design Consideration

The features that are required of a cast part, determine the

complexity of the die. The simpler the part, the lower the cost of the
die casting tool.

The designer should look at the casting in terms of total

manufacturing cost by examining, not only the part’s castability, but
also all of the secondary operations that may be required.

For the proper design of dies, pressure tightness, secondary

machining and surface finishing must be understood in detail. Areas
to be machined must have clarity to reduce to an absolute minimum,
porosity in those areas.

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 Casting Features for Die Design Consideration

Castability is determined by answers to the following:

Are wall thicknesses and ribs constant, or do they vary greatly?

If bosses exist, do they vary widely in diameter?

Will any thin channels on the design create weak areas on the die?

Is any engraving recessed into, rather than raised out of the die?

Are the cored holes extremely small in diameter and thus difficult to
cast?

Is the part designed with sharp corners or with generous radii?
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 Selection of Die Materials & Hardness

Core & Cavity Blocks: HOT DIE STEEL (HDS) – H13 , HRc 45 – 48

Spreader / Side Cores: HDS – H13, HRc 45 – 48

Sprue Bush: HDS – H13, HRc 45 – 50

Guide Pillars, Guide Bushes & Finger Cam: EN-36 / EN 1A

Case Hardened 0.8 – 1.0 mm depth, HRc 55 – 60

Wear Plate & Guide ways for Sliders: EN-24: Hardened HRc 55 – 60

Ejector Pins: HOT DIE STEEL HRc 45 - 48

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 SPECIFIC PRESSURE ( Pspec )

(Pressure During Intensification Phase)

REQUIRED
INTENSIFICATION /
S.NO. TYPE OF COMPONENT APPLICATION SPECIFIC PRESSURE
(For ALUMINIUM & Mg)

STANDARD PARTS (Parts without

1 mechanical requirements) Up to 600 Kg / cm 2

TECHNICAL PARTS (Parts with

2 mechanical requirements) 600 to 800 Kg / cm 2

PRESSURE TIGHT PARTS (Parts with

increased requirements for pressure
3 tightness) 800 to 1000 Kg / cm 2

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 DETERMINATION OF MACHINE REQUIRED
* By arriving locking force requirement ( in Tonnage )

Locking force ( L F ) = Projected area ( A ) x P spec

Projected Area ( A ) = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + A5

A1 = Area of the component

A2 = Area of overflow wells
A3 = Area of side core surface which forms the component
A4 = Area of runner and gate
A5 = Area of biscuit

Where A3 = area of core x 0.3 (in case of mechanical core )

= area of core x 0.1 (in case of hydraulic core )

Specific Pressure: (P spec) = Selected according to the component function as in

earlier slide.
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 DETERMINATION OF MACHINE REQUIRED

IN THE CALCULATED LOCKING FORCE 20 % SHOULD BE ADDED

AS FACTOR OF SAFETY

Note :
During preliminary calculations, it is sufficient to consider
component surface area and after calculating locking force,
about 50 % should be added for runner, gate, and overflows .

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 FILLING RATIO

DEFINITION :

Ratio between shot weight and cylindrical weight of

shot sleeve capacity
Filling ratio = Shot weight x 100 %
Weight of cylindrical length
Where:
Filling ratio is as a percentage
Shot weight in grams
2. 7 = density of aluminium in g / cm 3

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 FILLING RATIO

RECOMMENDED FILLING RATIO IS 40 % TO 60 %

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 SELECTION OF COVER DIE (Fixed Half) THICKNESS

•Depth of the casting in the cover die is to be

considered. If more thickness is required spreader to
be designed to compensate the stroke length.

• Stroke length of the machine with minimum biscuit

thickness to be considered

• Die casting machine specification to be referred for

stroke length.

• Minimum and maximum “biscuit” or “extrusion”

thickness requirement to be considered.

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN

The gating design is very important in HPDC and the following

needs to be considered:

Turbulence in the melt should be reduced to avoid entrapped gas in

the casting.

The melt flow thru the gate needs to be timed in order to allow the
controlled merging of melt fronts.

The flow velocities need to be consistent

The desired ingate velocities need to be met.

The desired direction of the melt flow into the cavity needs to be
met.

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN

Thick sections of the casting should be away from the gate

Thin sections of the casting are nearest to gate

Distance of the farthest portion of casting from assigned gate

location.

Identification of leakage prone areas of casting (gate should

be close enough to compensate shrinkage of these areas).

Degree of difficulty of die filling with regard to internal &

external intricacy of the profile.

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 GATE & GATE DESIGN

GATE VELOCITY REQUIREMENTS :

MATERIAL VELOCITY
--------------------------------------------------------------------

ZINC 30 - 50 m / s

ALUMINUM 30 - 60 m / s

MAGNESIUM 40 - 90 m / s

BRASS 20 - 50 m / s

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN
METHOD OF CALCULATING GATE DIMENSIONS :

FORMULA : Where:
f = gate area in cm 2
f = G G = weight of the component including
__________ overflows in grams
ν = specific weight of Aluminium in g / cm 3
ν x t x w t = filling time in seconds
w = gate speed in cm / s

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN

IMPORTANCE OF RADIUS AT GATE END :

COMPONENT

RUNNER

POOR DESIGN

SHARP
CORNERS CAVITATION (EROSION) AT
COMPONENT AREA

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN

IMPORTANCE OF RADIUS AT GATE END : COMPONENT

BETTER DESIGN

RADIUS NO CAVITATION AT
COMPONENT AREA

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 GATE AND GATE DESIGN

ADVANTAGES OF RADIUS

o To Avoid CAVITATION Or EROSION

o TO Avoid Gating Problem i.e. BREAKING

OFF OF THE COMPONENT AREA DURING
RUNNER BREAKING.

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 RUNNER AND RUNNER DESIGN

Basic Principle :

o To connect the biscuit and component in-gate by the shortest

way possible and with as few deviations as possible.

o Runner cross sections as square as possible.

oTo ensure that good laminar flow is available

oTo ensure that all cavities are filling simultaneously

oTo ensure that there is no loss of pressure if the design is for

consecutive filling of cavities.

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 RUNNER AND RUNNER DESIGN

Guidelines for dimensioning of runner

Gate area can be taken as a input for constructing runner

The relation between gate area and runner area = 1 : 3 to 1 : 4

The relation between gate thickness and runner thickness = 1 : 5

to 1:8

For thick wall castings, the runner should be little thicker, i.e.
approximately 20 to 30 % more than standard casting.

Runner length should be as short as possible to avoid loss of

temperature and velocity due to friction.

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 RUNNER AND RUNNER DESIGN
(Ideal cross section for good temperature distribution)
B

0
A = Cross sectional R 0.5 / 0.6T
15 area
RELATIONSHIP: B = Breadth
A = 3.0 / 4.0 x Gate area
B = 1.2 / 1.3 x T T = Thickness

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 RUNNER AND RUNNER DESIGN
(Runner cross section )

SQUARE RECTANGLE

NOTE :
Square runners are better than rectangular runners due to
better flow property and temperature distribution .This is also
very ideal for thick walled components.

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 Thermal Balancing

The dies are required to run at specified

temperature depending on the size of the casting,
number of die cavities, and machine cycle time.

Molten Aluminium is injected into the die at high

temperatures & speeds and then rapidly cooled for
ejection. This extremely fast and repeated cooling
requires a network of internal die cooling lines.

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 Thermal Balancing

Proper thermal balancing through the strategic

placement of water-cooling lines reduces die
casting cycle time, improves casting quality, and
lengthens the life of the die.

Oil Heating Systems: In some cases differential

heating of various areas of the die can be
achieved by using hot oil lines in the die. Hot oil
systems heat a special oil to a given elevated
temperature and pipe it through the die in the
same manner as water cooling lines.

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 AIR VENTS

PURPOSE

• To facilitate removal of air from Cavity, Runner system &

Shot Chamber.

• To facilitate removal of GAS which are formed due to the

evaporation of Dycote, Plunger lube, Antisol, etc.

. The resistance of gas in a badly vented mold is so great

that a section as thick as 10mm also exhibits non-filling
and porosity.

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 AIR VENTS

REQUIRED LOCATIONS :

All Overflows must have vents.

Air vents can also be provided in the flat surface of dies in the case of
thin-walled castings.

THUMB RULE :

Area of air vent channels should be about 1 / 5 of gate area

Air vents may be generated after first trial by studying the structure and
finish of the cast component.

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 FILLING TIME SELECTION GUIDE

S.NO COMPONENT WALL RECOMMENDED

THICKNESS IN mm CAVITY FILLING
(AVERAGE ) TIME in seconds

1 1.5 0.01 - 0.03

2 1.8 0.02 - 0.04

3 2.0 0.02 - 0.06

4 2.3 0.03 - 0.07
5 2.5 0.04 - 0.09
6 3.0 0.05 - 0.10
7 3.8 0.05 - 0.12

8 5.0 0.06 - 0.20

9 6.4 0.08 - 0.30
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 OVERFLOWS
FUNCTION OF OVERFLOW :

• To receive the first-flow cold metal

• It acts as a venting and heat damp which is required to maintain

adequate die temperature

• Volume of overflow should be sufficient to receive the cold metal

and air.
• All overflows must be brought with ejector pins, ensuring that the
air also escapes through the clearance between the ejector
hole and the pin itself.

OVERFLOW VOLUME REQUIREMENT :

As a thumb rule the overflow volume requirement is 1 / 4 to 1 / 5

of the component volume.
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 POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED DURING DESIGNING OF
COMPONENT AREA

Maximum permissible draft to be provided in all areas to avoid

unnecessary application of dycote during production because this will
lead to blow holes and porosity

Avoid integral core pins as far as possible. Remember, every loose pin
in the cavity is also an air vent.

Core pins which are in the direct path of the gate may be made of
Tungsten & Molybdenum based alloys having more surface hardness.
Also twin pins here for one hole with gap helps flow.

Machining allowance should be as less as possible to avoid exposing

porosity.

While designing ejector pin locations, special attention to be given in deep

hole areas
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 SIMULATION of Die Filling & Solidification

The simulation of the Diecasting process is gaining more and more in

importance. Its advantages are:

Optimized part filling

Reduction of turbulence and air entrapment.

Shorter production start-up and less re-work & trials of the die

Better part quality.

More process transparency.

Higher customer satisfaction.

In addition to these advantages, it is possible to carry out studies on die

temperature control by calculating the thermal behavior of the die i.e.
flow mechanics & thermodynamics.

The success of simulation is only when there is a “marriage” of

the Die maker, the Process Engineer and Simulation Engineer.

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 Some Effects of Design Flaws
Gate Velocity HIGH:

Heat-check marks near Gate area.

Soldering or welding of material to cavity / core pins

Die may crack pre-maturely

“Flashing”

Air-vents in-effective

Gate Velocity LOW:

Component “short-fill”

“Cold-shuts”

Porosity due to entrapped air

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 Some Effects of Design Flaws

Excess Runner Length:

Melting Loss, Costs, and yield will be higher

Loss of temperature before metal enters “gate”

Loss of velocity

Over heating of die

Overflow Wells:

Excess: Over heating of die – higher melting losses higher

yield - over-flows appear more dense than component.
Inadequate:
Porosity in component – cold shuts and other visual defects like
short-fill etc.

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 THANK YOU !!

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