What no one tells you about Rheocasting

It is no secret that the diecasting industry is under massive pressure or already in crisis mode. And Rheocasting seems like the perfect way out of the crisis, yet many who have tried the technology have never made it successful. So, what is the secret behind it? Why are foundries not succeeding with the most promising technology that the foundry industry has seen in a long time?

Rheocasting as the Saviour of Casting

Rheocasting isn’t a new technology; it started in the 1970s at MIT. In the past 50 years, many processes for making semi-solid slurry have been developed, and very few have sustained commercial success. So, where is the issue with Rheocasting?

The short answer is that Rheocasting introduces technical complexity not found in conventional high-pressure die casting. It starts with precise control of the solid fraction, which impacts the flow behaviour in the mold. And the downside is that a small amount of solid fraction adds a lot of complexity and offers only a tiny advantage. Even though some processes are advertised as solving all problems without changes, they rarely live up to that promise. If you increase the solid fraction without adjusting the tool and alloy, you end up with a total failure. Only when you fully commit to the technology and adjust everything do you get outstanding results.

This directly leads into the first pitfall. As Rheocasting is a new casting technology, this is an R&D project for most foundries. But rarely is any R&D budget large enough to cover a full tool overhaul or the build of a new tool, and to pay for weeks of trials to learn more about the process. And here comes the second pitfall. If you take the experiences from an optimal casting process at HPDC, Rheocasting doesn’t work. It requires a fresh perspective and different solutions to come to a good casting. We experienced that as well. We needed to develop new release agents for certain applications; we needed adjusted peripherals and tooling solutions.

The Perfect is in the way of the Good

Now that all these technologies are available, success in trial castings is limited to a few players. This leads back to treating Rheocasting as an R&D project. Engineers like to tinker around, get a full understanding first, and try to compare it to what they already did. And multiple times during these trial castings, the target was to prove that Rheocasting doesn’t work, to satisfy their own egos and continue what they had done before. Nothing good comes out of that – What a surprise!

And of course, if you go to a trial casting facility and see the process in action for the first time and compare it with your series production, which has been optimized for years, then not everything is validated 100 times. And especially when the right adjustments were skipped, like jet-coolers for hot spots, venting opportunities within the casting, etc, it is easy to determine there is no real advantage.

However, there are still advantages visible in that suboptimal setup. It is now time to draw the right conclusions from it. One is to say, “oh that isn’t perfect, it doesn’t work,” and others say “that is the right direction, let’s improve the setting and continue!”

What is the Difference in Success?

There isn’t one single reason why trials fail, and others didn’t. But there is a common theme. The foundries that came solely with a research perspective didn’t succeed. Foundries that already had a business case in mind and tested the technology to fit their purpose succeeded nearly every time.

The difference in wording may seem small, but it has a massive effect on the outcome. When business development is the focus, an easy ROI calculation is possible. If I spend X on trial castings and tool changes and can secure a market of size Y, that is a good investment. And it gives you the leverage to rework tools extensively. If you just want to stay within budget, you rarely take these measures. That is the small difference between make-or-break!

Active Business Development is the deciding Factor

Most foundries work like hairdressers. They wait for their customer to tell them what they want. Sometimes they consult a bit to reach a better outcome, but they still rely on the customer walking through their door first.

This has worked for decades, but it doesn’t anymore. And we see the effects of that strategy today. When foundries claim “energy costs are limiting our competitiveness”, they actually say, “our business model isn’t profitable anymore, but we blame external factors instead of changing our focus”.

And yes, waiting for the OEM to tell the foundries what to do made the industry what it is today. But for the next step, a self-initiative is needed. Foundries need to market what they want to cast and generate a market for castings in this market. This requires hard work and a totally different skill set than responding to an RFQ.

This lack of marketing and market development robs many foundries of the vision to develop disruptive approaches without the consent of the current customers.

Conclusion

So the summary is that if the properties Rheocasting shines in are not requested on the drawing, no one pays extra for a new technology. You stick with what you already know. And without marketing these properties, they will never show up on the drawing. To reach the right designers, you also need to build a direct line of communication with the development teams. When the drawing hits purchasing, and you hear about it, it is too late! And which foundry has an active content marketing strategy?

The conclusion is that Rheocasting cannot succeed without active business development! Schedule a Free Consultation Call below this article to get started on the right foot in business development with Rheocasting.