The Benefits Of Using Die Casting In Your Product Design

Die casting is often used to make components for the automotive industry or decorative hardware and many other small components. In fact, die-cast parts can be found in many things; you are probably just unaware that they are made from die-cast metal.

Locks and gears are common finished products. Other examples are hooks, toys, door handles, pumps, power tool housing, golf clubs and general engineering castings.

They also make up the majority of products requiring the strength of a seamless metal part, like taps and pump handles. Other examples of die-cast products include engine fans, compressor valves and camera housings.

For electrical items, die castings can serve as secure housings and interior enclosures of computer and electronic parts, zinc, in particular, is the perfect choice for electronic equipment applications due to its superior EMI and ESD shielding without gaskets due to zinc’s electrical conductivity.

As a testament to the flexibility of the die-cast metal industry, our castings have been used widely across many different sectors for over 80 years.

This is in part due to the fact that die casting is an efficient, economical process that offers a broader range of shapes and components than any other manufacturing technique. Die-cast components also have a long service life and may be designed to complement the visual appeal of the product. 

Product design engineers can benefit from the many advantages of specifying die-cast components as part of their next project.

Due to the flexibility and benefits of the die casting process, using it in your next product or component, decorative trim and/or finished products have many advantages:

• Components are durable, dimensionally stable.
• It can provide complex shapes within closer tolerances compared to other production methods.
• It can combine many functions into one, complex shaped part.
• High rates of production with little or no machining.
• Components can be produced with thinner walls than those obtainable by other casting methods.
• Much stronger than alternative plastic injection mouldings.
• Mass production allows thousands of identical castings within specified tolerances.
• Zinc castings can be easily plated or finished with a minimum of surface preparation.
• Smoother surfaces than most forms of casting such as sand or permanent mould.
• Holes can be cored and made to tap drill sizes.
• External threads on parts can be included in the cast.
• Include integral fastening elements, such as bosses and studs, lowering assembly costs.
• Zinc castings offer great corrosion resistance.

However, die casting is a high-volume production process, so part requirements need to be of a high enough volume per year in order to offset tooling costs.

By working with McDonald Diecasting Ltd during your design review process we can advise on providing cast components, their benefit as well as their optimal design for your project and budget. This will help maximise performance and lower machining costs by saving tooling and other secondary finishing requirements.

If you are a product designer or part of a purchasing team and you are not sure or aware of the benefits of using die cast components in your next project then speaking to us directly about the possibilities is a good start, call us on (+44)121 520 1177

• Bathroom Handles
• General Engineering Components
• Household Fixtures
• Train Toy Components
• Corporate and Product Badging
• Medical Valves