Advanced Manufacturing Processes [RYT]

Advanced Die Casting Processes:

1. Vacuum Die Casting:

 Why vacuum casting?

 good welding characteristics

To satisfy them, a high structural quality is required.

Vacuum casting creates good conditions for decisively reducing gas porosity, since air is
evacuated from the die cavity. Depending on the alloy used, the required values may be achieved
in vacuum casting even without additional heat treatment. But if such treatment is necessary, it
will produce surface flaws in the presence of even minor gas porosity, which cannot be tolerated
on the end product.

 Casting process requirements

 The vacuum equipment must offer high performance, and the die and shot assembly must be
tightly sealed to ensure high process reliability.
 It must be possible to control the velocity and pressure profiles with high precision and high
reproducibility and in real time – which can be taken for granted with Buhler Evolution and
Carat machines.
 Additional influencing factors such as molten metal feed, die temperate control, plunger
lubrication, and die spraying are also optimized to an extent crucial to quality.

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 Vacuum die castings (VDC):

Characteristics of VDC:

Aluminium-intensive cars like Audi A2, Audi A8 or Ferrari Modena rely heavily on
Vacuum Die Casting (VDC) for the space frame design. VDC has several characteristics that
make it highly attractive for automotive applications:

a) Thin walls in large structures: Designs using a minimum wall thickness well below 2
mm.
b) Joining with standard welding techniques as well as Laser welding and self-piercing
rivets.
c) Crash worthy structures (i.e. A-pillar of Audi A2, frame Ferrari Modena)
d) Wide selection of alloys including heat treatable and non-heat treatable alloys.
e) High productivity.

 VDC Process:

Vacuum Dies:

The principle of vacuum die casting requires the dies to be very tight. Residual pressure
is as low as 20 - 30 hPa. (Normal atmospheric pressure is 1013 hPa). Therefore tools consist of
frames and one or several inserts with air seals in between. Good quality tools loose less than 1.5
hPa/s of vacuum.

Melt:

The melt is kept in the dosage furnace below the filling chamber. Melt cleanness
determines heat treatability as well as weldability of castings. If the gas content is too high, heat
treatment produces humps on the surface, also called blisters.

Vacuum Die Casting Step 1: Dosage

In this step the low air pressure in the filling chamber sucks a portion of melt into the
filling chamber. The amount of metal can be adjusted.

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2. Metal Transport:
The piston drives up and seals the suction pipe. The melt is pressed to the gate. Metal
velocity in this phase is low.

3. Injection:
After the vacuum valves are closed the melt is injected into the die at high rate. During
the "shot", metal velocity is high.

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4. Post injection densification:

Process Control:
Modern die casters allow controlling and documenting up to 40 parameters per shot. This
allows precise control and high reproducibility.

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Example of VDC parts:

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 Advanced Manufacturing Processes [RYT]

2. Squeeze Casting Process:

 Introduction:
What is Squeeze casting?
This technique was initially similar to forging, with a mould made of a hollow lower die
and an upper die used as a stamp, which are set on a drop forging press. And the press is started
as soon as the liquid metal is poured in the lower die.
This method is no more widely used, if ever, as 2 problems rise: the thickness of the cast
part depends on the quantity of metal poured; and parts must be of rather uniform thickness,
unless thinner areas, which solidify before thicker ones, will prevent pressure from applying any
more on areas subject to shrinkage.
As a matter of fact, "squeeze-casting", which is then sometimes said "indirect" SC, is
now commonly an evolution of pressure die casting, using the same machines, with differences
only on the injection speed and on the design of the pouring system:
a) The speed of the metal is drastically lowered, so as to avoid any turbulence – typically
0.5 m/s, against 30 to 60 m/s in HPDC –
b) The solidification must be progressive from the thinner area of the cast part to the biscuit.
In other words the channels must be thicker than the cast part, and the gates set so as to
feed any area.
The high cooling speed and the pressure applied give the parts excellent mechanical
properties, and squeeze casting is therefore particularly suitable for suspension parts.

Squeeze casting, also known as liquid metal forging, is a combination of casting and
forging process. The molten metal is poured into the bottom half of the pre-heated die. As the
metal starts solidifying, the upper half closes the die and applies pressure during the
solidification process. The amount of pressure thus applied is significantly less than used in
forging, and parts of great detail can be produced. Coring can be used with this process to form
holes and recesses. The porosity is low and the mechanical properties are improved. Both ferrous
and non-ferrous materials can be produced using this method.

Squeeze casting or liquid-metal forging, is a process by which molten metal solidifies

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The applied pressure and instant contact of the molten metal with the die surface produce a rapid
heat transfer condition that yields a pore-free fine-grain casting with mechanical properties
approaching those of a wrought product. The squeeze casting process is easily automated to
produce near-net to net shape high-quality components.

The process was introduced in the United States in 1960 and has since gained widespread
acceptance within the nonferrous casting industry. Aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloy
components are readily manufactured using this process. Several ferrous components with
relatively simple geometry for example, nickel hard-crusher wheel inserts-have also been
manufactured by the squeeze casting process.

The squeeze casting process, combining the advantages of the casting and forging
processes, has been widely used to produce quality castings. Because of the high pressure
applied during solidification, porosities caused by both gas and shrinkage can be prevented or
eliminated. The cooling rate of the casting can be increased by applying high pressure during
solidification, since that contact between the casting and the die is improved by pressurization,
which results in the foundation of fine-grained structures.

Macro segregation has been known to be easily founded in most squeeze castings, which
leads to non-uniform macrostructures and mechanical properties. It is generally considered that
pressurization during solidification prevents the foundation of shrinkage defects. However, it
enhances the foundation of macro segregates in squeeze castings of aluminum alloys. Foundation
of macro segregates in castings or ingots has been reported to be caused by interdendritic fluid
flow, which is driven by solidification contraction, differences in density, etc.

With the current emphasis on reducing materials consumption through virtually net shape
processing and the demand for higher-strength parts for weight savings, the emergence of
squeeze casting as a production process has given materials and process engineers a new
alternative to the traditional approaches of casting and forging. By pressurizing liquid metals
while they solidify, near-net shapes can be achieved in sound, fully dense castings.

Squeeze casting is simple and economical, efficient in its use of raw material, and has excellent
potential for automated operation at high rates of production. The process generates the highest

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mechanical properties attainable in a cast product. The microstructural refinement and integrity
of squeeze cast products are desirable for many critical applications.

As shown in Fig. 1, squeeze casting consists of entering liquid metal into a preheated,
lubricated die and forging the metal while it solidifies. The load is applied shortly after the metal
begins to freeze and is maintained until the entire casting has solidified. Casting ejection and
handling are done in much the same way as in closed die forging. There are a number of
variables that are generally controlled for the soundness and quality of the castings.

Figure 1: Schematic illustrating squeeze casting process operations. (a) Melt charge, preheat, and lubricate tooling.
(b) Transfer melts into die cavity. (c) Close tooling, solidify melt under pressure. (d) Eject casting, clean dies, charge
melt stock.

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 Casting Parameters

Casting temperatures depend on the alloy and the part geometry. The starting point is normally
6 to 55°C above the liquidus temperature.
Tooling temperatures ranging from 190 to 315°C are normally used.
Time delay is the duration between the actual pouring of the metal and the instant the punch
contacts the molten pool and starts the pressurization of thin webs that are incorporated into the
die cavity.
Pressure levels of 50 to 140 MPa are normally used.
Pressure duration varying from 30 to 120s has been found to be satisfactory for castings
weighing 9 kg.
Lubrication For aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys, a good grade of colloidal graphite
spray lubricant has proved satisfactory when sprayed on the warm dies prior to casting.

 Advantages:
i. Offers a broader range of shapes and components than other manufacturing methods
ii. Little or No machining required post process.
iii. Low levels of porosity.
iv. Good surface structure.
v. Fine microstructures with higher strength components.
vi. No waste material, 100% utilization.

 Disadvantages:
i. Costs are very high due to complex tooling.
ii. No flexibility as tooling is dedicated to specific component.
iii. Process needs to be accurate controlled which slows the cycle time down and
increases the process time.
iv. High costs mean high production volumes are necessary to justify equipment
investment.

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