ALUMINUM FOUNDRY MULTIPLIED METAL PARTS PRODUCTION

 

 

Aluminum Foundry is a manufacturing plant for the production of metal castings with molten Aluminum. Foundries are nothing new, they are being used for metal casting for ages. Before, the invention of Aluminum, Foundries were based on Steel, Iron, Copper, etc.

 

Just a century ago Aluminum used to be very rare and costly due to its complex refining process at that time. With the advancement in technology, Aluminum became more available and more Aluminum Foundries started to develop.

 

Now, the majority of the industries rely on Aluminum parts. Due to Aluminum’s lightweight and abundance of raw material, it didn’t take time for Aluminum Foundry to dominate most other foundries that had been thriving for centuries.

 

PROCESSES CARRIED OUT IN ALUMINUM FOUNDRY

Aluminum Foundry is more like a workshop where different industrial processes are carried out for producing Aluminum castings. And the capability of an Aluminum Foundry is based on the type of operations it can perform.

The industrial processes in an Aluminum Foundry are discussed below:

 

Melting

 

Melting the metal is quite a complicated process for any Aluminum Foundry. It is also hazardous as well. Foundries must have proper safety measures during melting the metal as most accidents occur at this stage of manufacturing.

 

The melting of the metal itself consists of several other processes such as charging the furnace, melting, refining, etc. Chemicals are mixed with the melt during the refining to improve the properties of the melt by removing impurities such as Hydrogen.

 

The furnace used for melting can be different as well. Aluminum Foundry mostly uses Reverberatory or Crucible type furnaces as Aluminum’s melting temperature is several times less than that of ferrous metals.

 

Mold Creation

 

Aluminum Foundries are mainly distinguished from one another based on the molding technology they use. Aluminum Melting process is done almost similarly in most foundries, but the molding method they use is different.

 

Different molding methods used by Aluminum Foundry are,

 

• Die Casting
• Investment Casting
• Sand Casting
• Lost Foam Casting
• Permanent Mold Casting etc.

 

Each of these molding processes requires equipment that is entirely different than another. So, Most Aluminum Foundry usually focuses on only one molding technique. Each of the processes has its pros and cons.

 

But in terms of Economy and speed of production, Die Casting is the most popular molding method used in Aluminum Foundry. So, we will be discussing the mold creation process of die casting.

 

A critical part of the die casting process is the tooling of the die. Dies are actually the molds used for casting. The die tooling is done by CNC Machines. So, most Aluminum Foundry will offer CNC Machining services too.

 

Die tooling can be considered the most costly part of die casting. It involves a high initial investment for production. But dies have an exceptionally long lifetime and can be used for thousands of castings. So, the manufacturing costs for large volume projects are drastically reduced.

 

Metal Injection

 

The way metal is poured and injected may differ in Foundry to Foundry. Aluminum Foundries that use die casting can use a different type of equipment for this step. So, the die casting process is divided into the following categories based on the metal injection technique.

 

• Low Pressure Casting
• High Pressure Casting
• Squeeze Casting
• Slush Casting

 

Each of these processes handles the melt differently. Currently, the majority of the Aluminum foundry focuses on the High Pressure Casting process. Low Pressure Casting is also used in many foundries but they are less popular than the previous.

 

Squeeze and Slush Casting techniques are only used by a few of the foundry. High Pressure Casting Process is preferred due to the speed and accuracy of castings. It can produce parts with very intricate details as well.

 

Aluminum Foundry uses a cold chamber machine for high pressure die casting. These machines require molten Aluminum to be carried into its shot cylinder by a ladle. Then a plunger pushes the melt inside the die cavity with very high pressure.

 

The molten Aluminum fills up the entire die cavity and the casting is formed. It is then allowed to cool and solidify. Once solid the dies are ejected to retrieve the casting.

 

Trimming and Machining

 

 

Trimming is the process of getting rid of excess metal attached to the casting. This is a process followed by casting ejection. Aluminum Foundry has special equipment for trimming down the sprue, risers, gates, runners attached to the casting.

 

Aluminum castings are often done in batches, where a single casting pattern consists of multiple parts. They are usually hammered down and the individual parts are trimmed with a trimming die or machined.

 

Often the castings need some special features that are hard to implement during the casting. In these cases, Aluminum Foundry with CNC Machining facility further machines those parts to include those features.

 

Surface Finishing

Most Aluminum Foundry will offer an in-house facility for surface treatment of the castings. After the casting is complete you can choose to apply different types of finishes. Aluminum Foundry will usually offer the following surface finishing processes.

 

• Anodizing
• Powder Coating
• Mechanical Finishing
• Painting
• Sand Blasting
• Shot Penning
• Chromate Conversion Coating
• Polishing
• Grinding etc.

 

There are other surface finishing processes as well. An Aluminum Foundry may offer only a few of these. They often partner with a company that specializes in surface finishing.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD ALUMINUM FOUNDRY

A good and capable Aluminum Foundry must ensure some quality standards for their service. Some characteristics that a good Aluminum Foundry should possess are discussed below:

 

• Fully equipped casting facility to handle all sorts of projects
• Should be updated with the latest technology of casting
• Should have capabilities to provide a complete solution from design to finish
• Should have decent quality control measures
• The work environment must be following all the safety protocols

 

Sunrise Metal is an Aluminum Foundry that relies on Aluminum Die Casting to provide you with the best quality parts at a competitive price. We are an ISO 9001 & IATF 16949 certified company that complies with all the safety and quality standards. So, for any casting projects small or big you can count on us.