Magnesium Casting: Revolutionizing Modern Manufacturing
Understanding Magnesium Casting
Casting is one of the oldest industrial ways to give the metal the necessary shapes. It is an inexpensive way for metal formation.
The process involves molten metal poured down an empty space for giving it the desired shape necessary for making a tool. While cooling down, you get a good shape according to the quality of the material.
Magnesium casting is very popular and the material is very suitable if you are looking for a good metal to cast. It has good thermal and electrical properties and the parts made from the metal are very durable and strong.
You will be astonished to know that Magnesium casting has been introduced to the west by Dow Chemical in the 1920’s and is being used in multiple industries like aerospace, automotive, and ammo since then.
The Processes Of Magnesium Casting?
There are mainly three types of Magnesium casting. They are:
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Sand casting is the process of using sand molds for casting. The process is mostly used in magnesium casting for aerospace parts.
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The magnesium die casting process involves molds made out of steel for casting. The molten material is put into the steel mold under high pressure for casting.
Permanent Mold Casting
The method is used mostly for magnesium-zinc-zirconium alloys and the molten metal has flowed to the steel mold from a reservoir. It is a less complex method than magnesium die casting but has some flaws so that you cannot use it with all the alloys.
The Reason of Using Magnesium In Die Casting
Magnesium is mostly used in die casting because of its lightweight and strength. The metal is 70-76% lighter than steel while having a similar level of strength. Even aluminum is 30-35% lighter.
Besides, for tight tolerance, stability, and low cost, magnesium die casting can offer you a lot of opportunities. Whether the casting is thick or thin, you can do both with magnesium quite easily.
Compare Die Casting to Investment Casting
Although die casting and investment cast differ in their metal part manufacturing methods, they also have different strengths and weaknesses. In die casting, the molten metal is injected under high pressure into a mold and hence very accurate replicas of the complex parts can be produced in a short time without much tolerance. It performs the best in terms of making parts with a high-quality finish and tolerances, however it works mainly on metals such as aluminum, zinc or also magnesium. A disadvantage can be the high cost of die casting molds.
On the other hand, investment casting or lost-wax casting provides flexibility in that it can work with different kinds of metals such as steel and also stainless steel among others. It is particularly suitable for the production of fine and complex parts, but because it takes a bit longer than die casting and may not provide as high dimensional accuracy or precision. The preceding ouput requires die casting in the preferring of the method because project needs, including material, complexity and production volume is favored for high-volume products with complex parts by using investment anamation.
Types of Parts Suitable for Production Using Magnesium Die Casting
Magnetic die casting is a very multipurpose method that can make many lightweight and also strong components for use in various industries. It has the following applications: automotive parts such as engine blocks and transmission cases, aerospace components including engine housings, electronics housing for laptops and hand tools; sporting goods products; medical equipment items consumer-oriented devices telecommunications gadgets industrial accessories machine elements lighting fixtures. This manufacturing technique provides a perfect balance between strength and the weight reduction; therefore, it is suitably applicable to cases where durability precision and lightweight are necessary.
Main Application Of Magnesium Casting
While Dow chemical started producing magnesium pistons in 1921, it was introduced to the western world as a possibly popular material for casting in the future. But the development of magnesium casting happened after the second world war as the need for a durable and strong material arose in different industries. Since then, the metal has become quite popular because of its characteristics involving tight tolerance, thin-wall casting, and bulk machining.
The most advantages of magnesium casting you can harness in the automotive industry. Besides, as for durability, you can also use it in high altitudes. This particular character also made magnesium casting popular in aerospace industries.
While the two industries use mostly the alloys for magnesium casting, you can see it being used in the ammunition and defense industries for its combustible and other characteristics.
The Specific Strength Of Magnesium Alloy AZ91D
Magnesium alloys are used in different industries according to the characteristics of the alloy. But you will find AZ91D alloy almost everywhere. It is the most popular alloy when it comes to magnesium casting. With 8-10% aluminum and 0.50% manganese, this alloy is very suitable for magnesium casting in different industries.
When it comes to the specific strength of AZ91D, it has a tensile strength of 230 MPa. Yield strength is 160 MPa and Elastic Modulus of 45 GPa.
The alloy is quite hard and has a hardness of 63. The elongation is 3-7%.
For thermal properties, 26 µm/m°C is the thermal expansion coefficient for AZ91D. It has a thermal conductivity of 72.7 W/mK.
For these characteristics, the alloy is used in magnesium everywhere like automobiles, computers, households, and many other industries.
Compare Aluminum to Magnesium
In pure form, magnesium is 33% lighter than aluminum. While alloyed, and cast, the two materials tend to show similar kinds of strength and mechanical properties.
Both of the alloys show 220-230 MPa tensile strength. Which makes the alloys your first choice for casting metals.
While casting, both of the metal’s alloys can reach up to 600 MPa tensile strength.
But when it comes to damping capacity, no metal, even aluminum can compete with magnesium. You’ll be surprised to know that this metal has the highest known damping capacity among all the metals. It is 10 times more than aluminum.
Use Magnesium to Replace Aluminium
When it comes to magnesium alloy casting, magnesium shows similar tensile strength, mechanical properties, and casting nature to aluminum. It is more lightweight than aluminum as well as has more damping capacity. Above all, magnesium alloys tend to have lower melting points than aluminum alloys.
Because of these reasons, in the industries where lightweight and damping capacity is prioritized, it is possible to replace aluminum with magnesium.
Cost Consideration When Custom Magnesium Die Casting Parts
While speaking of the price for made-to-order magnesium die casting parts, many aspects should be taken into consideration. The sophistication of the part’s design is also an very important issue, as complicated forms and details may need much more developed casting technology and special tooling which leads to a higher production cost. The decision of the magnesium alloy also dictates the cost with some being more expensive than other ones. Second, the batch size is an very important factor – as production runs become larger prices per piece drop because of economies of scale.
Other than the tooling and set-up cost, mold creation is also another factor that should be considered. The costs associated with the post-casting processes such as machining, finishing and quality control checks are also a contributing factor to the overall cost. In conclusion, the selection of a supplier and their level of knowledge in magnesium die casting affects the costs because skilled suppliers can streamline manufacturing processes by reducing waste that leads to cost savings. As such, the assessment of design complexity level in material selection anticipated batch size tooling and post-cast processes should be paramount for efficient cost management when manufacturing custom magnesium die casting modules.
Guidance for Custom Magnesium Die Casting Parts From Manufacturers
When ordering custom magnesium die casting parts from the suppliers, proceed in a systematic way. First, determine your own unique needs of design material and its application and then choose the correct magnesium alloy accordingly. Work with the manufacturer to define detailed design specifications, and also think about prototyping as well. Assess the tooling and mold specifications as well as comprehend the entire manufacturing process, with a focus on quality control mechanisms. Manage the cost with different materials, batch sizes and also post-casting processes in a very efficient way. Choose a credible supplier with experience in magnesium die casting, as well as adherence to the industry’s standards and regulations when carrying out put stringent testing measures and validation.
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If you are looking for magnesium casting for your industry, you can decide on the metal without thinking further. In various comparisons, it has proven one of the best materials for casting without any kind of doubt.
