Düsseldorf, 20-10-08 

Permanent-mold Casting – a Highly Diverse Mass-production Process with a Wide Range of Applications

As a class, the methods used to produce castings with permanent metal molds are called permanent-mold processes. Most widely applied in the light-metal sector, this class now includes not only classical gravity die-casting but also pressure and vacuum variants as well as combined processes in which secondary forming is employed to produce dense, weldable high-strength aluminium and magnesium castings, such as wheel rims and safety-relevant components for cars. Moreover, low-pressure die casting is becoming popular again; it is mainly used in the production of cylinder crankcases and other heavy-duty motor vehicle components that cannot be made by pressure die-casting at present. Recently modified for sand-casting applications, the process is now being used to make, for example, prototypes that resemble future pressure die-casting components in their dimensions and properties, eliminating the need for expensive experimental dies before the start-up of the actual elaborate die-casting production.

That the permanent-mold process is also applied in casting ferrous materials is a less well-known fact. Thanks to its special solidification characteristics, it produces fine-grained and dense structures which, moreover, are easy to machine. Thus, for instance, the process is used to make pressure-tight hydraulic system components. In this sector, manufacturers offer not only finished products but also semis which, destined for later machining, are kept at hand in stand-by warehouses. Recent developments include composite casting materials, i.e. application-specific combinations of two materials with different properties. Once again, a wide range of  processes is available for specific applications, such as centrifugal casting, which is primarily used to make pressure-boundary pipes and other rotosymmetric parts, and the manufacture of rolls and roll rings from cast iron and steel. A special process variant, continuous casting, generates shaped semis which, like permanent-mold castings, are kept at hand in stand-by warehouses in bars of diverse cross-sections and dimensions.  

A ZGV publication offers a survey of the method of casting ferrous and non-ferrous materials by the permanent-mold process as well as the advantages and applications of the resultant castings.    

No. 2/2008 of the journal ‘konstruieren + giessen ’ reports on the subject addressed in this trade press release, Permanent-mold casting – a highly diverse mass-production process with a wide range of applications. For further information please ask for your free copy at  (zgv@bdguss.de). 

 

The subjects dealt with in previous ZGV information brochures include

• Rapid Manufacturing Enlarges the Range of Precision-casting Applications
• ADI
• Continuously Cast Iron: Suitable for Many Applicationssts
• Cast Metals for Engine Components are Heavy-duty Specialists
• Bionically Designed Castings with a Great Lightweight and Strength Potential
• Precision Casting – an Economical Solution for Complex Components  
• Austenitic Cast Iron Features Properties for Extreme Applications
• Welding of Castings – an Overview
• High-tech Castings Mirror the Dynamic Development of Wind Power Generation
• Cast Iron with Lamellar Graphite – still the most Frequently Used Cast Iron Material
• Cast Cylinder Heads and Crankcases Offer Versatile Solutions for the Cars of Today and Tomorrow
• High-alloy Casting Materials for Special Applications in the Pump Industry World