LIGHTWEIGHT DIE CASTING TOOLS - A PROMISING OPTION FOR ENHANCING THE HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING PROCESS

摘要

The approach presented in this article focuses on improving the conventional manufacturing concept of die casting tools towards a flexible, modular design, where only a few contour elements of the cavity die have to be replaced for achieving different castings. In order to pave the way for this design method, basic thermal and structural properties of a lightweight design die casting tool were analyzed. The finite element calculations carried out revealed that the modular lightweight die casting tool consumes considerably less energy for preheating and during operation. Due to the material reduction, the calculated deformations and stresses in the tool during the casting process deviate from the properties of conventional die casting tools. Although initial calculation results look very promising, further knowledge must be acquired in this field in order to ensure the future success of modular lightweight die casting tools.