ALUMINUM DIE CAST PROTOTYPES BOOST YOUR PARTS DEVELOPMENT
Aluminum Die Casting Prototypes Save Time and Money
Aluminum Die Casting is a commonly used manufacturing method for the mass-production of aluminum parts. But do you know you could make cost-effective prototypes by aluminum die casting? Aluminum die cast prototypes have been really popular for product development lately.
Die casting tooling is considered a lengthy and costly process. If you will be making prototypes, most likely you won’t prefer spending a big chunk of time and money for it. But with the recent advancement in technology things have changed.
As CNC Machining technology continued to develop, die casting tooling has become much faster and cost-effective. Die casting tooling process used for making product prototypes faster is known as rapid tooling or prototype tooling.
It is now widely used to make a large volume of prototypes and run tests on them to obtain statistical data. Because prototyping is an essential part of the product development to ensure the highest quality standards for the manufactured products.
Aluminum Die Casting Prototypes Process
The manufacturing process for making Aluminum die cast prototypes are explained step by step below.
Modeling
First of all, you need to create a 3d model of the prototype with a CAD program. What’s great about it is you can run a simulation on the parts to find out whether or not the parts meet your requirements.
You don’t have to waste any resources to make a prototype only to find out it will fail. So, you can avoid any dysfunctional model from the start.
Prototype Tooling
Then machine code the 3d model is generated using CAM software. Upon inputting the codes the CNC Machine will automatically carry out the tooling operation with excellent precision.
For saving time and cost of machining, the details are kept as simple as possible but not as much to compromise the similarity with the final product. To know more about the tooling process, please check out our die cast aluminum mold page.
Aluminum die casting Casting Manufacturing
After placing the prototyping die into the casting machine, the casting of the prototypes can be carried out. Aluminum is melted and poured into the shot chamber with a ladle. Then it is pushed into the die cavity under pressure.
The melt spreads uniformly and the shape of the prototype is formed inside the cavity. The casting is now complete and left for cooling and solidification.
To know more about the casting process, please visit our aluminum pressure die casting page.
Post-Processing
The completed castings are ejected from the dies and some post-processing operations are carried out. The casting is then trimmed to remove sprue, flash, risers, etc. attached to the casting. Then it may be machined to provide some details that were not possible during casting.
You can create hundreds of similar prototypes this way. But the modeling and tooling is a one-time requirement.
If you notice any minor change is needed during testing the prototypes, you can easily edit the 3d model and machine or weld the changes into your dies.
Die Casted Aluminum Prototypes Advantage
It has been a convenient prototyping solution for the companies. Here are some facts that make it a preferable choice.
Get statistical data
Die casting is a manufacturing method well known for its ability to mass-produce parts. So, you can obtain hundreds of prototypes for testing with a one-time investment.
Being able to run tests on a larger batch of prototypes will give you an early insight into your products and boost the product development process.
Short lead time
Prototyping used to be a very lengthy process that would take months to complete. But, the timeframe has been drastically reduced to a few weeks with aluminum die casting prototypes. With CNC Machining, the prototype tooling can be completed within a fairly short amount of time.
Cost-effective
Well, die casting is not a viable choice for making a few numbers of prototypes. Because the tooling cost involved won’t be justifiable. But big companies that take customer satisfaction seriously run numerous tests on their products.
So, they need a large number of prototypes. In such cases, Aluminum die-cast prototypes are probably the most cost-effective solution.
Great Precision
Prototype tooling done by CNC Machining can yield parts with great precision. Although, prototype tooling includes fewer details compared to production tooling. Even So, you can expect excellent consistency in quality and accuracy from aluminum casting prototypes.
Similar Mechanical Properties
A big advantage of Aluminum casting prototypes is that they are not just a physical replica of the final product, they can be designed to have mechanical properties of the final product. So, you get a more accurate representation of the strength and performance of the final product.
Sunrise Metal is Your Expert Aluminum Die casting Prototypes Manufacturer in China
Sunrise Metal has in-house CNC Machining, Aluminum Die Casting, and Die Casting Tooling facilities to manufacture excellent Aluminum casting prototypes.
Our rapid tooling facilities can reduce the lead time by up to fifty percent.
Normally prototyping can take six to eight weeks. With our rapid solution, we can complete prototyping your parts within one to two weeks only. If you can finish the prototyping phase fast, your overall product development time will be greatly reduced.
We also have 3d printing technology to aid the prototyping process. We have multiple prototyping options available to suit your schedule and budget. So, you can expect to get your desired prototypes that meet your requirements and get on-time delivery.
We will accept any prototyping requests ranging from 1 to 200+. So, whether you have a low or medium volume prototyping project at hand, you are always welcome at Sunrise. Our enthusiastic team of engineers and staff are dedicated to giving you the best service.
Here is just a small part but an important way that we’re doing the service for your aluminum die cast prototypes.
You can learn more about aluminum die casting.