Difference between Aluminum Casting and Aluminum Die Casting
Difference between Aluminum Casting and Aluminum Die Casting
Aluminum casting generally refers to the production of aluminum castings through the casting process, while aluminum die casting refers to the production of aluminum castings through high-pressure die casting. The main difference between the two is the casting process.
Casting processes for aluminum casting include sand casting, investment casting, gravity casting, low-pressure casting, ceramic mold casting, and plaster casting. On the other hand, die casting utilizes a high-pressure die casting machine.
The aluminum alloys used in these two processes are also different. In China, the national standard GB uses "ZL" to represent aluminum alloy grades used for casting, and "YL" for aluminum alloy grades used for die casting. Cast aluminum parts can generally undergo heat treatment for strengthening, with the T6 heat treatment process being commonly used. However, die cast parts are not suitable for T6 heat treatment due to the presence of a large amount of internal gas. This is because the T6 heat treatment temperature is much higher than the melting point of the aluminum alloy, causing the gas within the die cast part to expand and be forced out of the surface. This will result in numerous gas-related defects on the surface of the die cast part, severely affecting its appearance and rendering it unusable.
Both gravity casting and low-pressure casting of aluminum alloys belong to metal mold casting processes. They are used for producing aluminum castings, with the molds made of heat-resistant mold steels (such as H13).
The casting aluminum alloys that can be produced through both gravity casting and low-pressure casting processes are also similar, with similar aluminum pouring temperatures and mold opening times. The resulting aluminum castings have similar density and mechanical strength.
However, there are differences between gravity casting and low-pressure casting in terms of molding principles, the structure of the aluminum castings, labor intensity, batch quantities, and development time.
Content of the article: Alloy gravity casting is more suitable for producing a variety of small-batch, high-quality products with short development cycles. On the other hand, aluminum alloy low-pressure casting is suitable for producing products with larger production quantities, thinner wall thicknesses on aluminum castings, and structures that are suitable for the low-pressure casting process. The longer development cycle of low-pressure casting is advantageous for improving production technology.
A typical product produced by the low-pressure casting process for aluminum alloy is automotive wheel rims. The structure of these aluminum castings is well-suited for the characteristics of the low-pressure casting process. Additionally, the production quantity is very large, allowing for sufficient time to improve production technology.
A typical product produced by the alloy gravity casting process for aluminum alloy is industrial robot castings. These aluminum castings have small production batches, high quality requirements, short development cycles, and need to be produced quickly and without any porosity or sand holes.
