Die Casting Tool Making & Die Casting Parts production

Commonly used materials for die-casting products include the following: zinc alloy, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy. Aluminum alloy products are often used in the automotive industry, motorcycle industry, aerospace, etc.

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TONGDA LINK continues to provide customers with better die-casting products and services!

Our die casting factory is now a member unit of China Casting Association Die Casting Branch and a member unit of Guangdong Die Casting Association.

TONGDA LINK die casting factory currently has 9 cold chamber horizontal die casting machines ranging from 350 tons to 900 tons (including: three sets of 350T, one set of 400T, three sets of 500T, one set of 800T, one set of 900T). Using the latest die-casting manufacturing technology to supply high-quality molten aluminum alloy for die-casting production.

At the same time, TONGDA LINK die casting factory is equipped with mold processing equipment, which can manufacture high-precision die-casting molds according to customer requirements, and produce various specifications of precision aluminum alloy die-casting products for customers. The product size is precisely measured by a Swiss-made CMM, and equipped with a CNC machining center and a CNC lathe to precisely process the castings according to customer requirements, and has now formed an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons of aluminum alloy die castings.

Advantages of Die Casting

High Efficiency:
Rapid production of complex, detailed parts with minimal post-processing.
Ideal for mass production due to fast cycle times.
Precision & Consistency:
Achieves tight tolerances (±0.1 mm) and excellent surface finishes.
Ensures uniformity across large batches.
Material Versatility:
Compatible with metals like aluminum, zinc, magnesium, and copper alloys.
Balances strength, lightweight properties, and corrosion resistance.
Cost-Effective at Scale:
Lower per-unit costs for high-volume runs compared to other methods (e.g., CNC machining).
Design Flexibility:
Enables intricate geometries, thin walls, and integrated features (e.g., ribs, threads).
Sustainability:
Minimal material waste (recyclable scrap).

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Challenges of Die Casting

High Initial Costs:
Expensive tooling (steel dies) and setup, making it less economical for small batches.
Material Limitations:
Restricted to non-ferrous metals (e.g., aluminum, zinc) with lower melting points.
Not suitable for high-temperature alloys like steel.
Porosity Risks:
Trapped air/gas can create voids, weakening mechanical properties.
May require secondary processes (e.g., vacuum casting, heat treatment).
Design Constraints:
Draft angles and parting lines are mandatory for part ejection.
Undercuts and thick sections can cause defects (e.g., shrinkage, warping).
Lead Time:
Prototyping delays due to die design and manufacturing.
Equipment Size Limits:
Part size is constrained by machine capacity (typically under 50 lbs).

Ideal Applications of Die Casting

Die casting excels in industries requiring high-volume, precision metal parts, such as:
Automotive (engine components, housings).
Consumer electronics (heat sinks, connectors).
Aerospace (lightweight structural parts).

Key Materials in Die Casting

Die casting primarily uses non-ferrous metals due to their lower melting points and compatibility with the process:

Material Advantages Common Applications
Aluminum Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, high thermal/electrical conductivity. Automotive parts (engine blocks, housings), electronics.
Zinc Excellent dimensional stability, smooth surfaces, cost-effective for small parts. Door handles, gears, consumer electronics.
Magnesium Lightest structural metal, high strength-to-weight ratio. Aerospace components, laptop frames.
Copper Alloys Superior thermal/electrical conductivity, wear resistance. Electrical connectors, heat sinks.

Why not ferrous metals (e.g., steel)?

  • High melting points (>1500°C) would damage dies and increase costs.

  • Molten iron reacts with die materials, causing premature tooling wear.

Mitigating Porosity in Die Casting

Porosity (air/gas trapped in the metal) weakens parts but can be minimized with these strategies:

Design & Process Optimization

Vacuum Die Casting:
Removes air from the die cavity before injection, reducing gas entrapment.
Ideal for high-integrity parts (e.g., automotive transmission cases).
Overflow Wells & Venting:
Channels excess material and trapped gas to overflow areas, which are later trimmed.
Optimized Gating System:
Designs gates and runners to ensure smooth, turbulence-free metal flow.

Post-Processing

Heat Treatment (T5/T6):
Strengthens the alloy and reduces internal stresses.
Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP):
Applies high heat/pressure to collapse pores, improving density and fatigue resistance.
Impregnation:
Seals surface pores with resin or sealants for leak-proof parts (e.g., hydraulic components).

Material & Parameter Adjustments

Use degassed alloys to minimize dissolved gases.
Control melt temperature and injection speed to balance flow and solidification.

Alternatives to Die Casting

When die casting isn’t ideal (e.g., low volumes, large parts, or ferrous metals), consider these processes:

Process Pros Cons Best For
Sand Casting Low tooling cost, large parts (1000+ lbs), ferrous metals. Rough surfaces, slower, less precision. Prototypes, heavy machinery, engine blocks.
Investment Casting High precision, smooth finishes, complex shapes. Expensive for large volumes, lengthy process. Aerospace turbines, medical implants.
Permanent Mold Casting Better surface finish than sand casting, reusable molds. Higher upfront cost than sand casting. Medium-volume aluminum/copper parts.
CNC Machining No tooling needed, tight tolerances, all metals. High cost per part, material waste. Low-volume prototypes, complex metal parts.
Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Design freedom, no tooling, lightweight structures. Limited material strength, slow for mass production. Prototypes, custom medical/dental parts.
the advantages and challenges of die casting, a popular manufacturing process for producing high-volume metal parts

When to Choose Die Casting vs. Alternatives

  • ✔️ Choose Die Casting:

    • High-volume runs (>10,000 units).

    • Complex, thin-walled metal parts (e.g., smartphone frames).

    • Prioritizing speed, consistency, and cost-per-part at scale.

  • ❌ Avoid Die Casting:

    • Low volumes (tooling costs outweigh savings).

    • Extremely large/heavy parts (>50 lbs).

    • Applications requiring ferrous metals or ultra-high-temperature resistance.

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Mold design & engineering considerations

To know more information about die casting parts structural design, steel properties and mold making standard for your die-casting products.

Structural Design Experience of Aluminum Die Castings

1. Considering the problem of wall thickness, if the thickness gap is too large, it will affect the filling to make the die casting tool fail.

2. Consider the problem of demoulding, especially in the manufacture of aluminum die-casting, the external draft is smaller than the internal draft;

3. The core-pulling design of the mold should be considered in the design, and it is best not to design the core-pulling in the lower position;

4. For die castings with appearance requirements, gate overflow grooves should be set reasonably;

5. Try to avoid multiple mold slides or spiral slides in the die-casting mold layout, unless you have to use it;

6. For parts that need to be surface finished or processed, the design needs to consider the appropriate processing allowance;

7. Reasonable selection of materials, whether to use ADC12 or A380, etc, will depends on the specific die castings requirements;

8. Aluminum alloy has no elasticity, and the buckle or clip can only be matched with plastic;

9. Usually do not make deep holes directly! Only make point holes by the metal injection molding, and then make deep holes by secondary processing;

10. The design of thin-walled parts must use reinforcing ribs to increase the bending resistance!

Common mold steel comparison of different countries

MOLD STEEL

Germany Gröditz USA Sweden Austria Japan LKM
2311 P20 UHB 2311 M201 PX-4/HPM7 LKM P20
2312 P20+S HOLDAX M200 PX5
2738/2738H/2738HH P20+Ni 718HH/IMPAX SUPREME M238 PX5-N
738HH P20MODHH LKM 738H
XPM P20MODHH NIMAX PAC5000/HPM Magic
XPM VICTORY ESR
2083 420 LKM 2083
2083 VICTORY ESR 420 ESR M310 S-Star LKM 2083H
2083 mold. VICTORY ESR STAVAX ESR/S136 ESR D-Star/HPM38S LKM 2083 ESR
CRMHP VICTORY ESR MIRRAX ESR M333 LKM420
OPTIN+ POLMAX LKM420h
2316 SCS 2 LKM 2316
2316 VICTORY ESR M300 LKM 2316H
2316 mold. VICTORY ESR M303
2767 GRANE K600 LKM S7 M
2711
2714 L6 ALVAR 14 W500 GFA/DM
CPM40 VICTORY ESR W8PH NAK-PRM/CENA 1
CPM50 VICTORY ESR MIRRAX 40
GEST80 VICTORY ESR M461 NAK80/HPM50
2085 420 F MOD RAMAX HH M314 G-Star/HPM77
GPM58 VICTORY ESR UNIMAX

HOT WORK STEEL

Germany Gröditz USA Sweden Austria Japan LKM
2343 / EX3 H11 W300 Isobloc DHA-world LKM 2343
2343 VICTORY ESR / EX3 VICTORY ESR H11 Premium VIDAAR 1 ESR W300 Isobloc LKM 2343 ESR
2344 / EX4 H13 8407 2M/ORVAR 2M W302 Isobloc DAC P LKM 2344
2344 VICTORY ESR / EX4 VICTORY ESR H13 Premium 8407 SUPREME/ORVAR SUPREME W302 Isobloc SKD61/DHA1-A LKM 2344 ESR
2347 H13+S DH2F/FDAC
EX1 VICTORY ESR 8418/DIEVAR DH31-EX/DAC-55
2367 VICTORY ESR / EX7 VICTORY ESR QRO90 SUPREME W403 Isobloc DAC-MAGIC
1.2360 mold VICTORY ESR / EX6 VICTORY ESR

COLD WORK STEEL

Germany Gröditz USA Sweden Austria Japan LKM
2357 S7
2379 D2 SVERKER-21/XW-42 K110 SKD11/DC11/SLD

To know more about the steel chemical compositionthe and application, please visit TONGDA LINK BLOG.

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SPI-SPE plastic mold classifications and standard

The mold category is divided into the following categories according to the American SPI-SPE standard.

SPI-SPE standard Class 101 Injection Mold

Cycles 1,000,000 shots or more, extremely high production mold

1. Detailed mold design required.
2. The minimum hardness of mold base material is 280BN. (DME #2 steel / 4140 steel)
3. The inner mold cavity/core steel must be as hard as 48~50HRC. All other details, such as sub-inserts, slides, heel blocks, gibs, wedge blocks, lifters, etc. should also be of hardened tool steels.
4. The ejection board must have guide posts.
5. Slides must have wear plates.
6. If possible, the mold cavity & core and slides should have temperature control.
7. For all cooling, it is recommended to use electroless nickel or 420 stainless steel plates. This can prevent rust and clean up garbage.
8. Need parting line locks for 101 class molds.

SPI-SPE standard Class 102 Plastic Mold

Cycles 1,000,000 shots or more, extremely high production mold

1. Detailed mold design required.
2. The hardness of the mold base material is at least 280BHN. (DME #2 steel / 4140 steel)
3. The inner mold cavity/core steel should be as hard as 48~52HRC at least, and the other useful mold components should also be treated in the same way.
4. It is recommended to use parting line locks for 102 class molds.
5. The following items may or may not be required. It depends on the final production quantity. It is recommended to check if the following items are used when make a plastic mold quotation.
A. Ejector plate guide post.
B. Slide ware plates.
C. Electroplating water line.
D. Electroplating mold cavity/core.

SPI-SPE Class 103 Injection Mold

Cycles less than 500,000 shots, medium production mold

1. Detailed mold design required.
2. The minimum hardness of mold base material is 165BHN. (DME #1 steel / 1040 steel)
3. The inner mold cavity/core steel is P20 (28~32HRC) or high hardness (36~38HRC).
4. The rest of the requirements depend on the need.

Class 104 Injection Mold

Cycles less than 100,000 shots, small production molds

1. The mold design is required.
2. The mold base material P20 (28~32HRC) can be made of mild steel or aluminum. (1040 steel)
3. The inner mold cavity/core can be made of aluminum, mild steel or other approved metals.
4. The rest of the requirements depend on the need.

Class 105 Injection Mold

Cycles less than 500 shots, rapid prototypes or test mold

Can be cast aluminum or epoxy or whatever material is strong enough to produce the minimum number of parts, or prototypes.

Customized production of precision aluminum alloy die castings

TONGDA LINK manufactures die-casting parts like aluminum die-casting auto parts, aluminum die-casting automobile engine pipe fittings, aluminum die-casting engine cylinder, aluminum die-casting gasoline engine cylinder head, aluminum die-casting valve rocker arm, aluminum die-casting valve support, aluminum die-casting power accessories, aluminum die-casting motor end cover, aluminum die-casting housing , aluminum die-casting pump housing, etc.

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Why choose die-casting?

Die casting with little cutting and no cutting in modern metal processing technology is cost-effective, die-casting offers the following key benefits
and challenges:

Benefits

  • Die castings have excellent dimensional accuracy;
  • The surface of the die-casting casting is smooth, and the radius of the fillet is about 1-2.5μm;
  • Die-castings can directly cast the internal structure by mold;
  • Die casting can reduce or avoid secondary machining;
  • The production speed of die-casting castings is fast, and the tensile strength of castings can reach 415 MPa;
  • Die casting can cast high fluidity metal.

Challenges

  • Die casting requires casting equipment as well as molds and mold-related components, and the startup cost is high;
  • The die casting process is only suitable for metals with high fluidity, and the casting mass must be between 30 grams and 10 kilograms;
  • There will always be pores inside the die-casting casting, so any heat treatment or welding cannot be performed.

Die-castings applications

From functional prototypes to full production runs, die casting’s key industrial applications include:

Automobile manufacturing

Automobile manufacturing parts, such as heat sinks, DC mounting plates, power boxes, water cooling boxes, bases, arms, flanges, gear housings, vehicle bracket, controller metal shell, etc.

Internal combustion engine production

Internal combustion engine production parts, such as cylinder liners, motor cylinder covers, piston rings, radiators, motor housings, etc.

Motor manufacturing

Motor manufacturing for automobile, motorcycle, aircraft and ship, mechanical equipment motor aluminum alloy die-casting shell, motor housing cover, motor base, reducer shell, cylinder, etc.

Oil pump manufacturing

Oil pump manufacturing parts, fasteners, joints, end caps, oil pump drive shafts, housings, driven gears, driven gear shafts, driving gears, pressure limiting valves, brackets, etc.

Die-castings samples

Aluminum die castings, zinc die castings

die casting reducer housing

Aluminum die casting

Reducer Housing

die casting motor housing

Automotive casting

Gearbox Front Housing

die casting oil pump fitting

Oil pump die-casting

Aluminum Pump Part

die casting New energy vehicle bracket

Motocycle die-casting

Aluminum Heat Sink

Explore die-casting production news and tool making industry updates

Find die casting mold manufacturing industry news, resources, insight into the die casting process, production and more, on the TONGDA LINK blog:

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TONGDA LINK Manufacturing Capabilities

At TONGDA LINK, we are your premier partner for comprehensive plastic injection mold engineering, design, and manufacturing solutions. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, we specialize in delivering high-quality molds tailored to meet the unique demands of various industries.