Kinetic Die Casting Blog

Music Uses Aluminum. The use of aluminum products has become widespread. You can see aluminum everywhere and it is actually impossible to be in a place where you cannot see an aluminum part. This prevalence is due to the fact that aluminum is very durable and inexpensive. Many manufacturers prefer using aluminum in their products because it is easy to mold and inexpensive to make. Also, aluminum has chemical and thermal properties that are suitable to heat-producing equipments that can avoid malfunction and give longer lifespan for the equipments. With these reasons, even the music industry is using aluminum for the some parts of the equipments used like amplifiers, speakers, and even guitar chassis. These equipments are sensitive because of the vibrations and frequencies that they receive. This makes the aluminum so perfect for the musical equipments.

Aluminum diecastings are advantageous when it comes to aluminum musical equipment because of the weight. As compared to steel casts, aluminum parts are only one-third in weight. As we know, these equipments are frequently transported so having light weight is really a plus. Also, aluminum casts can diffuse the heat that is produced when using the equipments so they can prolong the life of these equipments. Lastly, aluminum casts are produced near net shape so joints and welded parts are rarely seen. This makes the casts stronger as compared to the steel parts that have joints and welded parts.

The Advantages of Magnesium Die Casting. Magnesium die casting is one of the current trends in the manufacturing industry. More and more companies are inserting this into their manufacturing processes, for the many distinct advantages of magnesium die casting.

One advantage of using magnesium die casting is that it makes processes which need a large quantity of small to medium sized parts easier. Die casting makes production less reliant on measurements, so the process moves faster and smoother than measuring out each part every time.

Magnesium die casting also eliminates secondary machining. Once the parts are made from the die casting, there is no need for additional processes to be made upon the part. This saves time, and more importantly, lessens production costs for the company.

This process also creates parts with excellent dimensional accuracy. Since the molds used for magnesium die casting are permanent, all the parts made are consistent with each other. This is especially important when the parts being made are used in delicate machineries, such as in the engine of an automobile or in the electronic components of laptops.

There are many more advantages of magnesium die casting. Each one of these contribute to making magnesium diecasting very attractive to the manufacturing industry.

The Part that Aluminum Plays. Aluminum parts types are distinctive because this particular metal lends to its die cast parts the properties of being lightweight and yet tough, with high electric as well as thermal conductivity, high reflectivity when polished to a sheen, corrosion resistance, non combustibility, formability, and capability to be recycled.

Due to the intrinsic properties of this metal, aluminum parts types are a favorite in the aircraft construction business, in the automotive manufacturing business, and in the bicycle manufacturing business– this due to its strength and light weight. Aluminum is also made into large electrical conductors and cables, and computer manufacturers are now using aluminum parts in the casing of their products– this again is due to another one of its properties, that of electric and thermal conductivity. Other aluminum parts types are found in various products such as cooking utensils, food and drink packaging, extrusions such as window frames and door frames, and mirror coatings for telescopes as well as the ordinary looking-glass.

Aluminum is a metal most abundant on earth. Although this is so, it is popular as a recyclable product. Visit any recycling plant and you are sure to come across some aluminum parts types. These might be aluminum cans from soda drinks, bits and parts other scraps. Some might be shredded, re-melted, shaped into blocks, and whatnot. All the aluminum scrap metal is easily recycled simply by re-melting them and pouring the molten metal once again into a mold. Then the aluminum die casting process can begin again.

“There are three ways to reduce fuel consumption,” says Morales. “We can reduce or eliminate the use of gasoline by developing hybrid cars and fuel cell powered vehicles. We can make our direct combustion engines more efficient. Or, we can reduce the weight of the vehicle to use less gas.” That’s why a special ASM International symposium at the Materials Science & Technology Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Oct. 25–29, to discuss how lightweight materials can provide effective solutions while maintaining vehicle strength and integrity.

Still, expanded use of magnesium die casting has proven difficult because of the cost of the metal, which has been 2.2-times higher than aluminum, its chief competitor, for the past three years. Also, a decline in imports from Russia and Canada, two of the country’s leading ingot import sources, has caused a supply shortage on the spot market for more than a year.

And, in recent months, China has become the world’s largest supplier of magnesium ingot and has been keeping world prices elevated. Meanwhile, softness in demand from the North American auto and machinery industries—coupled with high magnesium prices—has closed or bankrupted several magnesium die-casting companies. That’s why China—especially from plants in Shanxi Province—has become a major world supplier of magnesium die castings.

U.S. magnesium prices peaked cyclically at $3.65 in July 2008 but have since slipped to $2.29 in July 2009. Since magnesium isn’t traded on commodity exchanges, supply-and-demand fundamentals usually set price trends, except when such outside influences as trade restrictions or punitive tariffs artificially inflate sales costs. Lately, it’s been Beijing’s restrictions on raw material exports. The U.S. and the European Union have filed a World Trade Organization complaint that China is violating Article XI of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade—the founding document of what is now the World Trade Organization—as well as the terms of China’s own membership agreement with the WTO.
What’s happening is that China’s supplies of magnesium are so large that Beijing’s recent export restrictions have driven up the costs on world markets while holding them down domestically. The result is a subsidy of sorts for Chinese manufacturers, letting them charge less for finished die-cast goods than foreign firms pay for the raw material.

Also, with magnesium diecasting demand down worldwide, Chinese producers are delaying negotiations on 2010 ingot supply contracts with traders until winter this year—rather than the usual late summer or early fall. Market sources say most consumers are trying to determine how much raw material they will need next year—and that may take some time to crystallize.

Why use aluminum die casting? Many materials can be used in various metalworking processes including in the popular method of die casting. The most preferred materials for die casting are non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, zinc, copper, lead, magnesium and tin-based alloys. Many manufacturers, nonetheless, favor aluminum die casting because of several advantages.

By opting for aluminum die casting, manufacturers are able to parlay the metal’s beneficial characteristics. For one, aluminum is light in weight but possesses good mechanical properties. Parts with thin walls and complex shapes can be produced at excellent quality and strength by using aluminum. Even at high temperatures, the metal also retains its strength. Aluminum also offers good resistance to corrosion and provides high electrical and thermal conductivity needed in many parts of consumer and industrial products.

Owing to these basic properties, aluminum die casting can produce stronger and more durable components. The malleability of aluminum also allows the production of parts that could be applied with varying types of textures, resulting in fewer finishing touches needed for the end-products.

Aluminum die casting can likewise easily mass-produce parts already tailor-fit for assembly, complete with holes, bosses or studs. These features would contribute to less labor costs and a more efficient production line.