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In this January 2010 Newsletter:
New! Die Casting Coatings Report Available
Casting Design Education at CastExpo’10
Why Fillet?
Magnesium Die Casting Alloys
LED Lighting and Die Casting
New! Die Casting Coatings Report Available
Aluminum die castings are used in many modern applications. Although
the raw surface of an aluminum die casting provides substantial protection, sometimes enhanced surface
performance is required with the use of surface finishes. The new NADCA test report “Performance Evaluation
of Surface Finishes on Aluminum Die Castings” provides an evaluation of various surface finishes for
aluminum die castings.
NADCA is offering the publication for only $10
until January 31, 2010! For more information and to order please visit:
http://www.diecastingdesign.org/publications/309/
Casting Design Seminars at CastExpo’10
The Casting Designer and Buyer Tracks at CastExpo’10 will provide
education on topics ranging from the basics of metal casting to casting design conversion and sourcing
tips by a lineup of expert speakers. The seminars will be held in the Cast in North America Pavilion
where metalcasters (including die casters) will showcase their casting capabilities. This area will
allow buyers and designers to network with suppliers and provide an opportunity to discuss design
challenges face-to-face with experts. In addition the winning castings from the 2010 International
Die Casting Competition will be on display show casing the capabilities of the die casting process.
For more information visit: www.diecastingdesign.org/castexpo/
Why Fillet?
Fillets are highly recommended for all die cast part designs. Sharp
corners and edges weaken the part as well as the die casting die used to cast them. Adding fillets will
strengthen the part as well as the die casting die, this will result in a higher performance part and
extended die life. To learn more about the details and benefits of fillets visit:
www.diecastingdesign.org/design/basic/fillets/
Magnesium Die Casting Alloys
Die casting produces more magnesium parts per volume than any other manufacturing
process. The workhorse of the die casting industry is Magnesium Alloy AZ91D, however other magnesium alloys
are often die cast including the more ductile AM alloys. For super high performance applications magnesium
alloys with additions of rare earth elements have been used in items from sporting equipment to jet aircraft.
To learn more about magnesium die casting alloys visit: www.diecastingdesign.org/alloys/magnesium.htm
LED Lighting and Die Casting
It may seem that LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) and die casting wouldn’t have much in common,
but the increasing use of high power LEDs in many new lighting applications has been coupled with the properties of die castings
to increase product performance. The coupling of LEDs and die casting allows very compact high power lighting systems with
built in design shape flexibility previously unavailable for lighting systems. All die casting alloy properties match quite
well with high power LED lighting systems addressing the need to dissipate heat from the LEDs in a compact visually pleasing,
durable, and functional design package. Take a look at a few applications combining high power LEDs and die casting:
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/press/20849
http://tinyurl.com/nadca-design-led1
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/press/20817
http://tinyurl.com/nadca-design-led2
