Steal your next Casting

Yes, you read the headline correctly. This is my call to steal castings! However, please do not physically steal castings – that is still theft. Instead, steal the contracts to deliver the castings, and I will show you how.

Current Market Situation

The outlook is dim when you look at the current landscape of open RFQs on the portals. Automotive volumes are down and will probably stay down for a while. There aren’t many new products; if there are, there is a price war. It is brutal, especially in the small and mid-size segment of machine sizes. The overcapacity is massive, and the competition from Asia is strong. The parts are offered so cheaply to purchasing organisations that it is impossible to compete with Central Europe.

So, new products are needed to fill the production pipeline and generate a turnover to keep the lights on. Getting into new applications always takes a while. The parts have to be designed, and the customer must be educated. Isn’t there an easier way?

There is a way! Instead of looking for new applications, why not take on existing castings from other casting processes? Die- and Sandcastings get quite expensive when you need them in high volume. As the cycle times are that long, when you need more volume, you need more core-making, cooling towers, and casting machines. That triggers a lot of investment for these foundries, and this is reflected in the part price.

HPDC cannot do it

Imagine the efficiency gain by taking these castings on an HPDC machine. Instead of the long process chain from core-making through casting and cooling to sand-removal, push the metal every minute or two. Imagine the cost advantage! You might ask why it hasn’t already been done, as HPDC machines have been out there for quite a long time. The answer lies in the alloy and the casting requirements.

AlSi7Mg or A356/A357 is the alloy of choice for most of these castings. A low silicon alloy with a high solidification interval and a low iron content. In die-casting, the tools are protected by a coating. You don’t have that in HPDC. And the tool’s lifetime will be relatively short.

Also, many of these sand and die castings require tolerating high fatigue loads. They achieve this by slowly filling and compensating all the shrinkage porosity at high wall thicknesses. Every porosity has a potential origin for crack formation. In HPDC, filling high wall thicknesses with a low-silicon alloy is a lost battle.

Rheocasting is the Crow Bar

In Rheocasting, the world looks totally different. You can easily use the same AlSi7Mg and achieve the same porosity levels as in die or sand casting. Therefore, the fatigue loads can be achieved and you get the same quality casting at way lower price. You can even reduce wall thicknesses and add ribs to improve the functionality further.

Still, with these cost savings for the purchaser, it leaves an excellent margin for your foundry. That is what I call an unfair advantage that works in your favour. What are you waiting for? Start hunting these high-volume sand castings down for your foundry and boost your margins!

Especially with the upcoming Euro-7 specification for Trucks, they drastically need to reduce weight and costs. That is your way in! Learn more about this and many more applications in the Rheocasting Workshop from Casting-Campus GmbH. Schedule a Free Consultation Call below to inquire more information.