Time, Quality, Money Saving High Priorities for Industry
Extensive Research Results in Extended Zinc Alloy Capabilities
NADCA Announces Free Online Energy Training Area
Gas Injection Technology Offers Thick and Thin Walled Cast Parts
Extend Die Life – Reduce Porosity: New NADCA Publications
Time, Quality, Money Saving High Priorities for Industry
Yearly, plant management and other top die casting
industry personnel gather for NADCA's Plant Management Conference to learn, network and share common
problems faced in day-to-day operations. While the conference also offers several presentations on new
and emerging technology or processes, return attendees always put the highest value in the ability to
meet their peers and discuss pitfalls and solutions to improve issues like quality, time saving and
productivity.
NADCA has just recently set the date for this year's event - the conference is planned for September 23-25, northwest of
Chicago at NADCA's headquarters in Wheeling, Illinois. Plant tours and presentations are currently being planned.
Click here to find additional details on this and other NADCA meetings.
Extensive Research Results in Extended Zinc Alloy Capabilities
Work during the last 10 years has developed zinc
alloys with greatly extended capabilities compared with traditional alloys. High creep strength alloys
and composite materials have extended the service life capabilities of hot chamber die castable alloys
at elevated temperatures between one and two orders of magnitude over that of conventional alloys.
Service temperatures for components using these alloys can now exceed 100°C, using much higher loads
than those possible in the past.
As always, careful testing of any new alloy for its suitability in a given application is necessary. The goal of achieving
the much higher improvements in creep resistance exhibited by the cold chamber castable ILZRO 16 alloy, in a composition
compatible with the hot chamber die casting process remains. The basic metallurgical bonds that allow the resistance of
both primary and secondary creep to be achieved by ILZRO 16 need to be better understood and applied to hot chamber die
castable alloy development in order to achieve the next breakthrough.
To learn more about the Past, Present and Future of Zinc Die Casting Alloys, read this month’s DCE –
click here.
NADCA Announces Free Online Energy Training Area
Visit NADCA’s by clicking here
and view our new complimentary online energy training area. These new web pages contain a wealth of information,
including free videos, tutorials and statistics.
Energy cost is approximately 5-7% of total cost for a die casting facility. With industry profits running between 2.4% and 5.7%
for the last several years, an energy savings of $50,000 will generate as much profit as one million dollars in new sales.
Research shows that reducing energy use by 10% will increase profits by approximately 15%.
“I believe that a review of the information presented in this online training area will greatly assist any die casting
operation in identifying possible areas to concentrate on as they seek to reduce their monthly energy costs,” said NADCA
president Daniel L. Twarog. “There are quantified examples of successful implementation for many of the areas discussed. The
online training provides quick and easily understood information for every area of a die casting operation.”
This interactive NADCA energy Web site provides step-by-step guidance for reducing energy in eight different areas:
melting/holding, ladle heating, dross, space heating, electric motors, compressed air, facilities and process optimization.
NADCA has developed this timely project, which was funded by the Harvill Foundation, to provide industry companies with
top-of-the-line tips and instructions on energy reduction.
Gas Injection Technology Offers Thick and Thin Walled Cast Parts
Gas injection is a special variation of plastic injection molding
allowing the production of hollow structures without cores. The advantages of gas injection are free design of
thick and thin walls in one part, local feeding pressure and reduced sink marks and distortion. The application
of this technology is published in a paper, "Using Gas Injection in High Pressure Die Casting Technology" which
is the first paper presented, at NADCA's 113th Metalcasting Congress, April 7-9 in Las Vegas. This paper was also
chosen among over 35 other papers technical presentations as the "Best Paper" award for 2009.
It's not too late to register to hear this and other presentations at the annual conference.
Click here for more information on other papers
being presented and registration details.
Extend Die Life – Reduce Porosity: New NADCA Publications
NADCA has just made released new publications - Extending Die Life
for Aluminum Die Casting and the Die Casting Porosity Guidebook. Available only to North American based NADCA members,
companies and individuals until its wider distribution in 2010.
Extending Die Life for Aluminum Die Casting provides a review of research published by NADCA over the past 15 years, focusing on
recognizing thermal fatigue and other modes of die failures, including soldering to the die surface, erosion and corrosion of the die
surface.
Die Casting Porosity Guidebook offers a number of useful examples for specifying and evaluating porosity in die castings. Designed
to be used as a tool for more effective communication between die casting customers and die casting producers.
Corporate members receive 50% off the price of these publications
To learn more about these publications or to purchase – click here.
