Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are on the lookout for a dependable high pressure die casting mold company that specializes in the production of lightweight and often complex automotive and aerospace components, as well as the production of everyday consumer goods.

The question is, what characteristics distinguish a good partner in this process? What should you be on the lookout for, and what should you stay away from?

Let's take a closer look at this...

What is high-pressure die casting, and how does it work?

By injecting molten metal under pressure into a metal die at high production rates, high pressure die casting is a repetitive process that produces identical parts at high production rates.

Before high quality molten alloy is transferred from the furnace to the shot sleeve by automatic ladle, the die is sprayed with cooling lubricant to regulate temperature and facilitate casting release.

The injection, cooling, and ejection phases are all monitored and adjusted by sophisticated real-time shot control software. A final step involves extracting the casting from its mold and inspecting its condition. After that, the tool and machine are ready to go through the process again.

Take, for example, capacity.

It is possible to produce an extremely diverse range of parts using high pressure die casting; however, the size of a manufacturer's machine will limit the size of the castings that can be produced by that manufacturer.

If the breadth of the machinery meets your requirements, you should consider whether or not it will be able to keep up with the volume of orders you will be dealing with. If you're developing products for an industry that moves quickly, you should be prepared for a significant upsurge in demand from your initial production batch.

With the ability to scale up production quickly, a supplier will enable you to respond quickly to shifts in demand. So that you don't get caught off guard if the market suddenly turns in your favor, make sure you have a casting partner who can keep up with your long-term objectives.

Make sure there is some wiggle room.

In order to perform high pressure die casting defects causes and solutions, sophisticated machinery and tooling are required. To compensate for the high start-up costs, you're likely to find that long casting runs are frequently used to offset the initial investment.

Whenever you look for a casting partner, you're likely to discover that the vast majority of foundries only accept large volume orders, claiming that lengthy set-up times make the process prohibitive for smaller quantities of zinc or aluminum die castings.

This isn't true for everyone, of course, andIf you're considering a shorter run, look for a supplier who has optimized their tooling preparation and set-up operations in order to make the process more accessible to customers who only require small quantities of a product.

MRT Castings, for example, can provide a complete service regardless of how small a batch you require – so don't feel obligated to increase your order if it isn't in line with your needs and specifications.