Die casting is the manufacturing process of choice when producing high volumes of relatively complex metal parts and is widely used due to its versatility, reliability, and accuracy. Die casting eliminates all or most secondary operations needed to make a metal part; however, post-machining is common to meet tighter critical-to-function tolerances. Die casting parts can also be post-processed in any finish their respective CNC machined counterparts can.
Like injection molding, die casting requires the fabrication of a mold tool–called a die–that can have one or multiple cavities. The process works for softer alloys, including aluminum and zinc alloys, due to their relatively lower melting temperature. Die casting works by injecting molten metal into a die cavity, which takes the shape of the part and hardens into place before removal. Depending on the project scope, die casting can be low- or high-pressure, using a ladle or plunger to deposit metal. Die casting can produce highly complex, tight-tolerance parts in a repeatable manner at very high production volumes. Modern die casting methods such as squeeze casting and semi-solid metal casting produce high-quality parts for nearly every industry. Die casting companies will often specialize in casting aluminum or zinc, with aluminum making up roughly 80% of die cast parts.
