This overview section summarizes assumptions and limitations of the following aspects of the model:
Die Casting General Process
In general, casting costs are determined by aggregating material, labor, machine, and tooling costs.
High-pressure die casting routings consist of the following processes:
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Melting
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High Pressure Die Casting
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Optional secondary processes
Gravity die casting routings consist of the following processes:
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Melting
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Coremaking (optional)
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Gravity Die Casting
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Trim
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Refractory Coat Cores
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Refractory Dry
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Cleaning
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Finishing
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Visual Inspection
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Optional secondary processes
If you have licensed the appropriate modules, your routing can include optional machining, heat treatment, and surface treatment processes, as well as testing, inspection, and packaging processes (which are part of the process group Other Secondary Processes).
See Feasibility and Routing for Die Casting for more information.
Part Geometry for Die Casting
Feasible geometries for die casting are limited by machine capabilities and by the selected Digital Factory’s minimum castable diameter for holes and voids.
A part is geometrically feasible for high-pressure die casting only if it satisfies the following requirements:
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Hole diameters and void box sizes are larger than 80 percent of the plant variable minCastableHoleDia for the selected Digital Factory.
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Some machine that is included in the Digital Factory satisfies the following requirements:
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It is able to accommodate the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the mold base required for the part.
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It is able to provide the clamp force required for the part. (The required clamp force is a function of the part’s geometry as well as the material to be used.)
A part is geometrically feasible for gravity die casting only if the following holds:
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A machine that is included in the Digital Factory can accommodate the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the mold base required for the part.
See GCD Extraction for Die Casting, Machine Feasibility and Selection for Die Casting, and Feasibility and Routing for Die Casting for more information.
Materials for Die Casting
Supported materials include the following:
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Aluminum
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Aluminum Bronze
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Commercial Bronze
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Free-Cutting Brass
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Lead - cast
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Magnesium
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Manganese Bronze
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Silicon Brass
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Yellow Brass
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Zinc
See Material Selection for Die Casting for more information.
Machines for Die Casting
The following tables list important property value ranges of the machines supported for the central casting processes:
High Pressure Die Casting (Buhler, Frech, Idra, Profit, Quantum, and virtual machines)
|
Property |
Low End |
High End |
|---|---|---|
|
Clamp Force (kN) |
240 |
40,000 |
|
Max Mold Height (mm) |
250 |
2100 |
|
Tie Bar Distance, Horizontal (mm) |
250 |
2,100 |
|
Tie Bar Distance, Vertical (mm) |
250 |
2100 |
Gravity Die Casting (Hall, IMBR, KURTZ, SIJIN, Zhenuan, and virtual machines)
|
Property |
Low End |
High End |
|---|---|---|
|
Clamping Force (kN) |
74.0 |
15,400.0 |
|
Max Mold Height (mm) |
230 |
1845.0 |
|
Tie Bar Distance, Horizontal (mm) |
450.0 |
1505.0 |
|
Tie Bar Distance, Vertical (mm) |
405.0 |
1350.0 |
See Machine Feasibility and Selection for Die Casting for more information.
Tooling for Die Casting
High-pressure die casting molds can be machined out of Aluminum, H13 Tool Steel, or P20 Tool Steel. Users can specify the number of cavities, part maximum wall thickness (for cooling time calculations), and part tolerance, as well as several other tooling cost drivers.
Gravity casting molds can use 4140 Tool Steel or H13 Tool Steel. Users can specify the number of cavities, mold material, part tolerance, and maximum wall thickness, as well as several other tooling cost drivers.
Trim dies can use D2, A2, or S7 Tool Steel. Users can specify die material, among other tooling cost drivers.
The tooling model estimates the number of parts that can be produced with a given tool before it wears to the point that it needs to be replaced. Based on that estimate, the cost model determines the number of tools required to manufacture the production volume specified in the Production Scenario tab of the Cost Guide, and accounts for that number of tools in total hard tooling cost.
Tool-life estimation is based on part material, tool material, and tool coating type. For a given costing, either the formula Dependencies or Investment tab displays the number of tools assumed by tooling cost calculations.
See Tooling Cost for Die Casting and User Inputs for Die Casting for more information.