Why You Need Value Engineering for Casting Aluminum

Looking for aluminum casting solutions at the best value? Make sure that your die casting company is an expert in value engineering. Die casting can be an expensive process, but with the right design and steps, you can have your die cast component manufactured for a great value.

It’s best to go with a die casting company that has been around a while. These companies have worked out kinks in the process and will be able to help you through production with less costly errors and design iterations before you find the best design for your product.  They will be able to find innovative designs and use value analysis techniques to help you create the most cost-efficient design for your needs. From metals selection to draft angle calculation, these more experienced companies will walk you through a seamless and cost efficient product process.

If you are considering another manufacturing method, make sure to first get a die casting quote. Die casting, if done correctly, can have significant cost and other advantages. Die casting alloys are fully recyclable and can be very cost efficient (consider zinc). Die casting also allows for complex parts to be produced without the need for secondary machining, further reducing costs.

Some ideas to consider are:

·        Designing parts to be manufactured using multi-slide die casting

      Consolidating parts and simplifying component function

·         Designing parts to eliminate or reduce assembly operations
 Designing parts to eliminate secondary machining needs

Global Value Engineering – Going international is a big undertaking. If you’re going to sell parts in foreign countries, consider a company that has die casting facilities in those localities. You’ll save on transportation costs of your parts once they go to market. You’ll also save on manufacturing time by splitting up the job between multiple facilities located closer to their end destination, allowing you to meet strict production deadlines. 

Think Zinc

Die casting is the process of engineering metal parts by forcing molten metal under high pressure into reusable molds.  These molds, also referred to as dies, can be designed to produce complex shapes with a very high degree of accuracy.  Zinc is the fourth most common metal used in die casting parts and is behind only iron, aluminum, and copper.  It is one of the easiest alloys to cast because it offers high ductility, high impact strength, and is also easily plated. 

Zinc is an ideal metal for die casting due to its strength and hardiness.  It also has excellent electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, low raw material cost, and high dimensional accuracy.  Zinc is also an environmentally responsible choice for die casting because it is fully recyclable.  At the end of their product life, these die castings can be recycled and reused in new products by industries such as steel, rubber, agricultural, and pharmaceutical. 

Zinc die casting is used in tons of familiar objects such as household appliances, hand tools, telecommunication devices, computers, and several types of automotive vehicles.  Zinc die casting uses hot chamber machines because of its low melting point and the fact that it does not erode metal pots, cylinders, and plungers.

There are several metals that can be used in the die casting process.  Zinc is a top choice because of the many benefits it offers for creating metal parts.