Aluminum High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) for Automotive Parts

Automotive Parts Group Summary

1. Engine Accessories: Lightweight and precision-critical parts

Throttle body, fuel pump, fuel nozzle, tensioner, cylinder block, bearing bush, water pump, fuel injection, gasket, camshaft, valve plate, crankshaft, connecting rod assembly, piston, carburetor, fuel tank, water tank, fan, radiator, Pistons

2. Powertrain Accessories

  • Precision gears and shafts: Gears, intermediate shaft, drive shaft assembly, drive shaft flange, synchronizer ring.
  • Brake System Accessories: Brake disc, brake drum, brake master cylinder, brake cylinder.
  • Steering System Accessories: Steering gear, steering knuckle, power pump.
  • Suspension and Axle Accessories: Rear axle, half axle, balance weight.
  • Electrical and Instrumentation Accessories: Precision and heat-dissipation-critical parts ( Ignition module, ignition coil, alternator housing )
  • Automotive Lighting and Exterior Parts: Headlight housing, decoder housing, decorative automotive exterior parts.
  • Body and Safety Components: Wiper housing, airbag casing, instrument panel housing.
  • Maintenance Equipment and Others: Precision equipment casings and tool housings.
  • Complex structural components:Transfer case, clutch disc, flange, planetary gear, wheel carrier.
Frontal cross braceFrontal cross braceRHT folding levers
RHT folding levers

Automotive Parts Advantages:

High-pressure aluminum die casting has revolutionized the production of automotive parts, offering numerous advantages such as lightweighting, high strength, and the ability to create complex shapes.

Rear connector sill frame member
Rear connector sill frame member

1. Weight Reduction (Lightweighting):

One of the core challenges in the automotive industry is reducing vehicle weight to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Aluminum is a lightweight material, approximately one-third the weight of steel, while still maintaining excellent strength. Producing aluminum parts through high-pressure die casting significantly reduces the overall vehicle weight, leading to improved fuel economy, acceleration performance, and handling. Lightweighting is even more critical for electric vehicles (EVs) as it directly impacts battery efficiency and driving range.

2. High Strength and Durability:

High-pressure die casting involves injecting molten aluminum into a mold under high pressure. This process results in a dense metal structure with minimized porosity, leading to parts with high strength and durability. Aluminum also exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, reducing the likelihood of part damage due to rust. These characteristics make high-pressure aluminum die-cast parts suitable for components subjected to high loads and stress, such as engine blocks, transmission housings, and chassis components.

3. Complex Shape Capability:

High-pressure die casting is highly effective for mass-producing parts with complex and precise shapes. If the mold's precision is ensured, parts with intricate internal structures, curves, and thin walls can be produced with high accuracy. This allows for the integration of multiple parts into a single die-cast component, simplifying assembly processes and reducing production costs. It also increases design freedom, allowing for complex shapes that improve aerodynamic performance or differentiate designs.

4. High Productivity and Cost-Effectiveness:

High-pressure die casting is a very rapid production process. Large quantities of parts can be produced in a short time, making it suitable for mass production and leading to cost reductions. The use of precise molds minimizes the need for post-machining, further reducing additional processing costs. This cost-effectiveness makes high-pressure aluminum die casting widely used in the automotive industry.

5. Precise Dimensions and Excellent Surface Finish:

Because high-pressure die casting uses high-precision molds to form parts, dimensional accuracy is very high. Additionally, the molten aluminum conforms closely to the mold surface during solidification, resulting in parts with an excellent surface finish. This helps reduce the need for additional surface treatment processes, further lowering production costs.

6. Wide Range of Applications:

High-pressure aluminum die casting can be applied to produce various automotive parts. Typical examples include engine blocks, cylinder heads, transmission housings, oil pans, pump housings, chassis components, and structural parts. Recently, high-pressure aluminum die casting has also been actively applied to battery cases and motor housings for electric vehicles.

7. Thin-Wall Casting:

The high pressure used in this process allows for the creation of thin-walled castings, which further contributes to weight reduction without sacrificing structural integrity. This is particularly important for body and structural components where minimizing weight is crucial.

8. Integration and Consolidation:

As mentioned earlier, high-pressure die casting enables the integration of multiple parts into a single casting. This reduces the number of individual components, fasteners, and assembly operations, leading to cost savings, improved structural rigidity, and simplified logistics.

9. Recyclability:

Aluminum is a highly recyclable material, making high-pressure aluminum die casting a more sustainable manufacturing process. Recycled aluminum can be used to produce new parts, reducing the demand for primary aluminum production and its associated environmental impact.

10. Tight Tolerances and Repeatability:

The process offers excellent repeatability, ensuring consistent part quality and tight tolerances. This is crucial for automotive applications where precise fit and function are essential.

General classification of the most common aluminium automotive parts
General classification of the most common aluminium automotive parts

HPDC Automotive Parts Lists Examples:

Transmission Related:

Engine mounting
Engine mounting
Integral engine mountingIntegral engine mounting
Integral crossbeam
Integral crossbeam
Suspension strut bracket for SUVs
Suspension strut bracket for SUVs

Body Related:

Door frame
Door frame
High-pressure die-casting nodes of the A-pillar
High-pressure die-casting nodes of the A-pillar
Gearbox crossbeams
Gearbox crossbeams
Inner door panels
Inner door panels
Rear lid frames
Rear lid frames
Side door panel
Side door panel
Housing for vibration dampersHousing for vibration dampersSteering wheel
Steering wheel
from "6 - High-pressure die-cast (HPDC) aluminium alloys for automotive applications"
Side door cast nodesSide door cast nodesHinge and latch door panels
Hinge and latch door panels

Technical Resource For Automotive

Fig.1 Test sample SEM: (a) sample 1; (b) sample 2; (c) sample 7; (d) sample 8

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This introduction paper is based on the paper "Mechanism and performance of coal spontaneous combustion with a halide carrier inorganic ...
Fig. 2 Photographs of specimens at room temperature. (a) A lot of cracks are found in KCI-30 mol%NaCl specimen. (b) K2CO3-50 mol%Na2CO3 specimen shows very brittle behavior.

Mechanical Properties of Salt Core Comprised of Alkali Carbonate and Alkali Chloride

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Mechanical Properties of Salt Core Comprised of Alkali Carbonate and Alkali Chloride" ...
Fig. 1 (a)Appearance of injection-molded salt mixture and (b) Schematic illustration of mold

Mechanical Properties of Mixed Salt Core Made by Die Casting Machine

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Mechanical Properties of Mixed Salt Core Made by Die Casting Machine" published ...
Figure 4. Active liquid cooling configuration—the liquid loop connects all the LB cold plates in series followed by the HB in series and then into the heat exchanger.

LIQUID COOLING OF BRIGHT LEDS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

This introduction paper is based on the paper "LIQUID COOLING OF BRIGHT LEDS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS" published by "Not explicitly ...
Life Cycle Assessment of Magnesium Components in Vehicle Construction

Life Cycle Assessment of Magnesium Components in Vehicle Construction

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Life Cycle Assessment of Magnesium Components in Vehicle Construction" published by "German ...
Figure 1. Typical applications of aluminium castings in automotive vehicles [5]. Nemak/American Metal Market Conference, 2015, accessed on 1 October 2022.

Joining Technologies for Aluminium Castings—A Review

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Joining Technologies for Aluminium Castings—A Review" published by "Coatings". Figure 1. Typical ...
Figure 1 Topological design and optimisation of the integratedcasting structure for rear chassis.

Integrated Structural Casting Development with Digital Twin Technology

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Integrated Structural Casting Development with Digital Twin Technology" published by "The 75th ...
Figure 48 : The boundary condition for Samsung battery SDI 94 Ah

Innovation and design of the battery box for electric vehicles

This summary is based on the Master Thesis "Innovation and design of the battery box for electric vehicles" published by ...
FIGURE 3.—Microstructure of specimens formed by varying injection pressure: (a) 60 MPa, (b) 80 MPa, (c) 100MPa, (d) 125MPa. Brighter regions are a-Al grains and the darker regions are a mixture of empty and [Al þ Mg2Si] eutectic regions.

Injection Parameters Optimization and Artificial Aging of Automotive Die Cast Aluminum Alloy

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Injection Parameters Optimization and Artificial Aging of Automotive Die Cast Aluminum Alloy" ...
Fig. 1. Equipment setup for the experiment.

Effect of Shielding Gases on the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturability of 5 Cr – 4 Mo Tool Steel for Die Casting Mold Making

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Effect of Shielding Gases on the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturability of 5 ...
Figure 1 Vision of material circularity and manufacturingsustainability (modified, based on [1])

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Casting Industry

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Integrated Computational Materials Engineering and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Casting Industry" published ...
Figure 1. Optical Micrograph (a)3% SiC in AZ91(b)6% SiC in AZ91(c)9% SiC in AZ91(d)12% SiC in AZ91

Synthesis and Characterization of SiC p Reinforced Magnesium Alloy Based Metal Matrix Composite Through Vacuum Assisted Stir Casting Process

This introduction paper is based on the paper "Synthesis and Characterization of SiC p Reinforced Magnesium Alloy Based Metal Matrix ...
Figure 2. Casting section thickness variations magnesium door inner panel.

The Application of Magnesium Die Casting to Vehicle Closures

This introduction paper is based on the paper "The Application of Magnesium Die Casting to Vehicle Closures" published by "SAE ...
Figure 1. Delphi Interior and Lighting Systems' magnesium alloy steering wheel component.

The Design of an Experiment to Choose an Aluminum Die Casting Alloy for Energy Absorbing Automotive Components

This introduction paper is based on the paper "The Design of an Experiment to Choose an Aluminum Die Casting Alloy ...
Fig. 3 The LED headlamp cooling system

The Summarize of High Power LED Headlamps Cooling Design ofAutomobile

This introduction paper is based on the paper "The Summarize of High Power LED Headlamps Cooling Design of Automobile" published ...

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