Casting Study: Window Part

Second Place, 2018 EU Zinc Die Casting Competition

This part can be easily installed on site using clips with clamping ribs with a power input of 65 to 75 N. Predetermined breaking points with a defined break at 360 to 460 N allow disassembly if required. To ensure perfect installation and functionality, the tool must meet special requirements. The objectives are a sharp-edged design of the ribs and the associated defined pressure load and the location of partition lines to receive burr-free parts, since no reworking is provided. Also noteworthy is the hot runner casting technique. The casting of the part was converted from 16x conventional zinc die casting to 32x hot runner technology. Four hot runner nozzles with eight cavities each are used in one casting. While 60 to 70 percent of zinc remains in the gate in conventional casting, this figure is only about 25 percent with hot runner technology.

“The new casting technology is practically used at serial parts and contributes to a significant increase in the resource efficiency of the process. The chosen solution of the quadruple trimming suggests that techniques from plastic injection molding have been successfully transferred. This is a novelty in the industry and shows that there is still potential for development,” stated competition judges.