Die casting solutions
Die casting is a highly productive casting process and has experienced something of a revival in recent years caused by the growing demand for weight reduction in the automotive industry. In order to produce ever larger structural and body parts, foundries have invested in larger die casting machines with locking forces of 4,000 t and above.
HA’s product range includes the consumables foundries need for this highly automated casting process, which is still relatively new compared to classic casting processes.
Release agents
Before each shot in the die casting process, a release agent is sprayed onto the surface of the cavity to achieve a range of functions and properties:
- Separating the aluminium or magnesium alloy from the steel die and avoiding sticking / welding by preventing the formation of an intermetallic phase like FeAl3
- Creating the lubricating effect required to eject the casting and to lubricate moving parts, such as slides and ejector pins
- Making it easier to fill the dies
- Providing additional mould cooling during spraying
Given the extremely diverse range of parts, which includes everything from solid, thick-walled parts such as cylinder crankcases to very thin-walled, flat parts such as strut brackets and A-pillars, mould release agents face many challenges.
This is why HA Ilarduya’s product portfolio includes release agents with a variety of compositions to ensure that we can provide the right solution for every single application.
Piston lubricants
The piston release agent required for cold chamber die casting is also applied to the casting chamber/piston system before each shot.
There are two fundamentally different application types to lubricate pistons:
1 | Applying an oil or lubricant-containing liquid to the piston
HA’s high-performance oil can be used universally for many piston / casting chamber pairings and casting alloys. Due to its composition, the product does not interfere with the post-treatment of castings.
2 | Application of wax pellets in the casting chamber in front of the piston head
The surface temperature of the casting chamber (min. 180°C) makes the pellets melt and the liquid-state lubricant drawn into the gap between piston and casting chamber via capillary action. The main advantage of this lubrication method is a much cleaner environment around the casting chamber.
- HA Ilarduya offers different pellet types for specific challenges, all of which are free of graphite, which sooner or later would otherwise end up coating everything with a dark grey, greasy layer. As an alternative to graphite, the HA pellet type with the highest lubricating performance uses an extremely effective alternative raw material, which allows it to be used for piston diameters of up to 160mm.
- In order to ensure optimal use, HA Ilarduya also offers its customers the Pellet Feeder and Mobile Pellet Feeder dosing units. These dose the specified amount of pellets into the casting chamber without allowing any pellets to bounce back out. As a result, foundries benefit from a much cleaner environment and an efficient, loss-free pellet dosing process.