Material Selection:

Die-casting alloy selection is based on the application and functionality of the product or part in question. Different metal have their own characteristic, in other words they all have their advantages and disadvantages. After selecting a sensible metal for production, selecting the right die-casting alloy is also a very crucial for ensuring that the part of product will meet the design specifications, since every alloy has its own physical and mechanical properties due to their distinct chemical compositions.

Aluminum Alloys:

• Relatively lightweight (Density 2.7 g/cm3)
• High resistance to corrosion
• Good mechanical properties
• Good dimensional stability
• Good conductivity and heat capacity
• Suitable for heat sink, heaters, structural requirement for automotive,
power tools and electronics designs

Zinc Alloys:

• Density 6.5 g/cm3, not recommended for parts over 1 Kg
• Considered as the easiest to cast
• Longer tool life due to lower temperatures and pressures
• Ability to be produced in thin wall thicknesses and tighter tolerances
• Relatively cheap to produce comparing to Aluminum and Magnesium with the
same processes
• Suitable for electronic housing, connectors, home appliances’ handles and
decoration products

Magnesium Alloys:

• Lightest weight among commonly used structural metal (Density 1.8 g/cm3, 30% lighter than aluminum) 
• Thin wall casting, further reduce weight up to 50% with proper design comparing to conventional Al casting
• High strength to weight ratio
• Excellent damping ability
• EMI shielding Ability 
• Suitable for handheld devices, weight reduction solution for automotive
and electronic industries

Mould Life:

Tool life depends a lot on product design, material use and the quantity we produce at each batch. 
Generally speaking, the thinner the wall, and/or the more complex the parts, the shorter the tool life. 
Temperature also plays a major factor in tool steel erosion, while Aluminum has a higher casting temperature, its tooling life tends to be shorter, for example.
  
Here is a general tool life range for each material:
 
Aluminum:  60,000-100,000 shots
 
Zinc: 500,000 to 1 million shots
 
Magnesium: 100,000-200,000 shots
 
Trimming tool: 300,000 – 1 million
 
Jigs & fixture: with proper maintenance, pretty much forever.
 
Whether a tool can be used depends also on the quality or customer’s acceptance level.  During different production stages there will be crack,erosion and deformation on the tool and parts.  As long as there is a good communication between producer and customer, tool life can be extended with tooling design and quality level without added a lot of cost.

MOQ :

We are not a greedy company, we don’t 1 million parts per order, however,there are limitation in our industry and a lot of negative effects when we produce at small batches.  There are thermal shocks, scraps and wares on the tool, at extreme cases those will reduce tool life to half.  Die casting is supposed to be a highly cost effective high volume metal solution.  To get the best from die casting, we need high volume in order to achieve the best balance in cost and quality for you.
 
Depending on the product size, we recommend the following MOQ
 
Aluminum： MOQ 5,000-10,000 shots per order, total consumption of a tooling within 2-3 years.
 
Zinc:  MOQ 50,000 – 100,000 per order, total consumption of a tooling within 3-5 years.
 
Magnesium:  MOQ 5,000 -10,000 shots per order, total consumption of a tooling within 2-3 years.
 
For very low quantity, we recommend customer to choose other manufacturing
method such as conventional casting or CNC machined parts.
 
Can I use the same tool for different material?

The answer is Yes and No.
 
Yes: If the tool can fit on the machine, it will be possible to put all
three materials with the same tool. 
 
No: There are a lot of know-how for each material, with flow, venting and
heat balance and such.  You may be able to get some parts, but there will be a lot of hidden defects.
 
We occasionally switch material for customer as testing and project
development.  Please consult our engineering team for the technical details.

What is Thin-wall casting?  How thin is thin?

Comparing to conventional gravity sand casting, die casting is already considered as the “thin wall solution” as thickness can go from 5-10 mm down to 2-2.5 mm.  In recent years, there are many other “thin wall solution” that can go to the extreme.
 
Thinnest possible wall thickness:
 
Aluminum: 0.55mm
 
Zinc: 0.5 mm
 
Magnesium: 0.55mm
 
If PPM, we DO NOT have the machinery and expertise to achieve these extreme level.  Usually those are very specialized processes that are for some narrow and niche market.  There are also limitation in shape, part function and possible trade-off in terms of cost, scraps, and lower tool life. However, PPM is not completely technologically backward, we can still achieve a certain level of thin wall for a more normal range of products.

PPM thin wall capability:

Aluminum:  normal wall thickness 2-2.5mm, minimum 0.8-1.0mm
 
Zinc: normal wall thickness 1.5-2mm, minimum 0.8-1.0 mm
 
Magnesium: normal wall thickness 1.2-1.8mm, minimum 0.6-0.8mm
 
*thin wall casting is limited to certain size and shape.  Please consult our
engineering team for feasibility study.

Finding out the best coating for you:

• Teflon® coating
• Powder coating
• Wet Paint coating
• Electrolytic plating