How to reduce costs in high pressure die casting

Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was a remarkable steel industry figure whose insights about business and wealth are still valued today. Even in the modern die casting industry it pays to heed his sage advice:

 “Watch the costs and the profits will take care of themselves.”

In this article we’ll take a closer look at how voestalpine can help you reduce your production costs. In doing so, you will not only increase your profits but also optimize your productivity.

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE RIGHT PARTNERSHIP

Whether your company is a tool maker, a foundry, or even an OEM, you’ll know its reputation is staked on its knowledge, experience, and use of leading technology to produce high-quality products. And with a large investment in plant and equipment, the cost to produce any light metal component is considerable.

At voestalpine we understand how important it is for your company’s success to reduce costs through various measures such as—

• Reduce scrap rate
• Improve OEE
• Optimize cycle times
• Reduce maintenance effort
• Reduce downtime
• Extend die lifetime
• Reduce energy consumption and total carbon footprint

Although applying such measures may be standard practice in the high pressure die casting industry, your operational needs are unique. It is therefore important for any trusted partner to take the time to step back and appreciate your full business picture.

STEP BACK AND APPRECIATE THE FULL PICTURE

Wherever your company is positioned in the value chain, when you partner with voestalpine, we take the time to step back and fully appreciate your operational environment: What are your main production issues? What are the conditions of the industry in which you operate? Who are your main competitors? Answering these questions and more enable us to appreciate the full picture with you. Only then can we help you reduce costs and optimize productivity.

GATHER THE RELEVANT DATA

Whatever your cost-saving issues—from excessive scrap rates for the die casting of a gearing housing, for example, to an inadequate lifetime for the mold for a cover plate, the first step to finding a solution is to collect the relevant data.   We work with you to understand all the issues. Together we verify the information to confirm our mutual understanding and address any incomplete information. By gathering the relevant data, it is then possible to develop the right solution.

DEVELOP THE RIGHT TOOLS

Once the relevant data has been gathered and analyzed, the tool development process can begin. This is likely to involve various value chain stakeholders including the tool maker, the tool user, and the tool designer. An iterative process of design, review and modification is likely to follow before the final design is approved.

Selection of the right steel and hardness is one of the many important design factors. You can read more about this in our previous article “Higher Profits through High-Pressure Die Casting Optimization”

Further technical considerations such as Heat Treatment, PVD Coating, and the use of Engineered Products have been discussed in another recent article “The Three Pillars of Service Excellence in High Pressure Die Casting”.  The use of Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as “3D Printing” is also significant here—with many of the voestalpine Engineered Products additively manufactured—resulting in shorter lead times, improved life time, and shapes that were not previously feasible.

Once the development process is complete, the tool can be produced.

MONITOR, VALIDATE, AND IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

Once the design has been completed and the tool has been produced, it is put into operation by the tool user. But this is not the end of the process. Through performance monitoring of the operation, it is then possible to validate the results and fine tune the tool. voestalpine Engineered Products AM inserts can be designed with channels for the integration of sensors for your monitoring solution.  We consult with you to determine the number of sensors and their positions in the inserts.

ARE YOU WATCHING YOUR COSTS?

If you’re like Andrew Carnegie and believe in watching your production costs, you’re bound to benefit from the comprehensive voestalpine full solution approach as outlined above and summarized here:

• Start with the right partnership
• Appreciate the full picture
• Gather the relevant data
• Develop the right tools
• Monitor, validate, and improve performance

With your production costs covered, the profits will take care of themselves. Are you ready to get started? Our experts ready to help and waiting to speak with you. You can contact them below.