What are the lowest-hanging fruits for your Foundry?

As we know, the sand casting process, while versatile and cost-effective for small production runs, has limitations. These include a rougher surface finish, lower dimensional accuracy, and longer production times. The longer cycle times make sand and die castings highly expensive when you need several tens or hundreds of thousands of them. However, Rheocasting can turn these negatives into positives for your foundry.

Rheocasting: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

We already see volume reductions in the HPDC industry, and part integration also removes another large fraction of the parts with each iteration. So, turning the negative aspects of sand and die casting into new business with Rheocasting is the lowest-hanging fruit.

The pitch to the customer is quite easy. The alloy, which is mostly A356 or AlSi7Mg, works perfectly with Rheocasting, so no changes are needed. The efficiency of the HPDC machine in other spheres is comparable to sand or die casting.

The energy-intensive two-step T6 heat treatment is necessary for the die and sand casting parts to deliver high mechanical properties. Rheocasting with its globular microstructure, allows for faster cooling rates and a better microstructure. In many applications, the T6 heat treatment is not needed. A simple T5 (one-step without quenching) heat treatment delivers good enough properties.

Sand and die castings often have a minimum wall thickness of around 4 to 6 mm. When you look into the stress simulations, the high wall thickness is not needed. Reducing the weight of the part saves even more costs, as alloy costs are around 50% of the part price. And it improves sustainability when you have to prepare less material.

Moreover, the lower dimensional accuracy of sand casting, which can be a limitation for complex parts, is no longer a concern with Rheocasting. It offers the same high precision as known from HPDC.

When can you start acquiring new profitable castings?

In conclusion, Rheocasting offers a solution to sand and die casting challenges. Rheocasting can pave the way for a more efficient, versatile, and profitable future for the aluminium foundry industry by turning these negatives into positives. It’s time to consider whether Rheocasting could be the solution for your foundry! Schedule a Free Consultation Call down below.