The Proper Tooling for Magnesium Die Casting. Magnesium die casting has been established as a very viable option for manufacturers to increase the efficiency of their production by making production cheaper and faster. However, it is not enough to buy the machines and the metals to be used to integrate it into the production process. The proper tooling for magnesium die casting must be prepared as well.

Magnesium die casting tooling, not just the machine, the mold, and the metal. Each one has its uses for added efficiency to the die casting process.

There are a lot of custom tools, each one suited for different types of die casts. There are also some tools which are notable as they are very useful for all kinds of die casts. The trim die cuts the excess magnesium around the finished die casts. Interchangeable cores make holes of different sizes. Vents allow gas to escape from the die, and overflows regulate the temperature of the die. Finally, ejector pins are used to push out the finished die from the molds.

When choosing the proper tooling for the magnesium die casting, it is important to take note of what is needed for each die cast. Each job is different from one another, so only the basic tools would be present for each. All the rest should be chosen carefully for each magnesium die casting process.

Inserts For Die Casting Tooling. There are four types of die cast tools. These are: the single cavity die, the multiple cavity die, the unit die and the combination die. However, all of these dies may have one thing in common. These may be using smaller pieces of metals called inserts. With the advancement in the designing process, many of the more sophisticated die casting tooling can now be fabricated successfully using these smaller pieces of metal. Although these may look nothing more than thin rods of material or even a blob of metal (literally) inserted in the die, inserts are probably the best and most economical way of creating sophisticated cast die pieces.

The main purpose of inserts is to create the holes or the running tubes within the piece. In earlier times, these holes or tubes can only be “placed” within a finished piece by manually or mechanically gouging it out. Needless to say, this can be a pricey affair especially if you consider the actual cost of hiring either skilled workmen to drill the holes or buying machines for the same purpose. Also this practice was subject to a lot of errors and therefore not feasible for mass production – especially when quality control is very rigid.

Fortunately, die cast tooling inserts can now be easily accommodated in most cast die machines. The material used for inserts depend on the actual materials being processed by the machines. As a rule hot chamber machines use molten materials with lower melting points like copper, lead, magnesium and even zinc. On the other hand, cold chamber machines use mainly aluminum or aluminum based alloys which have higher melting points. The inserts are made from the same materials as the actual die, usually steel alloys, but these are reinforced to make sure that metal erosion does not take place during the actual production stage.

A few proposals and bills have been discussed recently by nations such as the U.S., Canada and the EU that call for level playing fields across several industries. Whether these are adopted or even make it to the table is another issue but their outcomes could shape the international commerce scene. At least it appears that the aloofness displayed by past U.S. governments–that crushed domestic tooling companies–is beginning to fade. For example:

* American-made media such as movies and music have consistently been forced to flow through an unregulated–almost underground–albeit state-controlled, “black market”, which filters the media and charges extraordinarily high fees. The WTO recently found this violates principles of “free trade”. Of course, China plans to appeal.

* Since China’s acceptance into the WTO in 2001, they have amassed $1.95 trillion in foreign trade reserves.

* In India, government placed a six-month ban on lead-filled “Made in China” toys in January, 2009. Several weeks ago, the Indian government placed a new ban on any and all products made of chocolate–which is an extension of their dairy ban on the Communist country. I have absolutely no problem with the steps the leaders in India took to protect its citizens, despite cries of “unfair protectionism” by China–of all people. I don’t know about you, but the thought of injesting melamine isn’t too enticing. I’ve heard that kidney stones and kidney failure aren’t that fun…let alone what it has done to pets and children.

* U.S. Carbon Tarriff has many western supporters. It basically will hold foreign nations that don’t have greenhouse policy restrictions in place accountable through a tarriff starting in 2012. Kudos to them for finally realizing how regulations make American manufacturers uncompetitive when their LCC (low-cost country) competitors do not have to spend the cost required to adhere to them. China’s response? If it passes, they will be forced to retaliate.

Source: http://blog.toolanddieing.com/2009/08/16/wto-ruling-against-chinese-protectionism/

Before I started Kinetic Die Casting Company, in the early 80′s, “John” visited me at a different die casting company. He drove into my parking lot in a green Ford Pinto, about 10 years old. John was an interesting man, a magician who frequented magic clubs and visited Las Vegas on occasion. The most remarkable thing I remember about John other than his red hair was the gold nugget ring he wore.

John’s visit was regarding a new auto parts product idea. He told me that there was only one type of “Auto License Plate Frame” available. It was a flat plastic frame, in black or white typically, that was occasionally painted or had a sticker with the name of automobile dealerships (If you can remember, in the early 1980′s, he was right)

John had an idea for a new product. A license Plate Frame that was made of “metal” that look like gold and needed to look like gold nuggets “just like his gold nugget ring”. John pointed at the ring on his finger as he told me what he wanted. Seemed like a good idea to me so we proceeded to make the tooling for his “Gold Nugget License Plate Frame”. John sold several thousands of these frames and came to me with another idea.

John wanted a License Frame that looked like a “Silver or Gold Chain”. Within a year, John had other ideas for frames that I had made for him.

About a year and a half to two years after meeting John the first time, he drove his new Mercedez Benz to my office with the buyer of his license frame business. The buyer was a larger auto parts manufacturer. John made a lot of money on his ideas. His investment of a few thousand dollars for die casting tooling was well spent.

John, if you see this, please visit me and show me a few more card tricks.

Die Cast Tooling and Its Forms. Die cast tooling are the dies and the molds used for die casting. These die cast tools many forms namely Trim Dies used for die cast parts, Die Cast Family Mold Tooling, Complete Class “A” Die Cast Mold Tooling or Die Tooling, Unit Die Tooling, Prototype Die Cast Tooling Inserts and Die Cast Tooling Inserts.

I would be focusing this article on the latter form, the die cast tooling inserts since among all the die cast tooling, these are the least expensive. These actually are just enough steel to create cavities plus extra steel to put up with the fluctuations of the temperature of molten metal injecting under force. To extend the tooling life, the inserts should be heat treated to reach their proper hardness, not too hard and not too soft. Making it too soft will cause it to easily get damaged or easily wear from erosion and making it too hard, on the other hand could result to the steel cracking due to high temperature. Toolmakers who do not use enough steel in the inserts may reduce its potential life.

The die casting tooling inserts need to be supported by a type of holder so that metal could be injected into it and also to provide a sort of a path for the metal to pass and go in while the gases escape. These gases should be removed because it can produce porosity. This holder of inserts are called unit die, family die or mold base.

Die casting is no simple task. You would need to ask expert toolmakers to do this job for you. You just simply need to look online for you to find the expert that could help you. Varying websites of different die casting companies can be found in the internet. All you need is to choose which is the one nearest you.