foundry-planet.com - B2B Portal: Gas injection in practice - ALUWAG on the threshold of pre-series production

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Foundry Corporate News

24. April 2024

The opportunity for development partners for innovative die casting solutions

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Thomas Fritsch, Chief Editor

The renowned Swiss die-casting company ALUWAG, based in eastern Switzerland, has been supplying technology leaders competently and reliably with sophisticated die-cast components for more than 50 years.
For around four years, the company has been developing gas injection technology in aluminium die casting as part of the EU research and innovation programme "Horizon 2020" and in collaboration with TIK, Magit, Surtechno and HS Aalen. The company can now put the process into practice with demostrator components for various geometries with the aim of bringing components into series production.

The process, which has already proven itself in injection moulding, is now also to be used for series processes in die casting for molten metal.

During our on-site visit to Niederbüren, we were able to talk to Raphael Hutter and Damian Föllmi about the development of gas injection technology at ALUWAG before foundry manager Nihat Atik and team leader Sujivan Srikantharajah presented the process in practice by casting the demonstrator parts.

Die casting solutions for non-removable hollow channels in the component
The focus is on the production of component cavities using the aluminium die casting process. Using gas injection technology, complex structures and internal channels can be created during the casting process without the need for additional machining steps. Images 1 and 2

How stable is the process?

Together with the experts from ALUWAG, let's do the practical test and see how stable the process is and how the advantages can be summarised. Together with the project partners TIK, MAGIT, Surtechno and HS Aalen, the Swiss die casters were able to overcome many hurdles in advance. It is now possible to simulate the gas injection process with Flow 3D in terms of filling and solidification as well as the complete flow of the melt.

The quality characteristics for the component are determined together with the customer and defined in terms of cross-section, wall thickness distribution, residual dirt, tightness and bore.
The injection process at the die casting cell runs smoothly with experienced employees at the gas injection unit with expert operation of the gate valve to inject the nitrogen.

The targeted injection of gas into the melt during the casting process creates cavities that reduce the weight of the components and at the same time improve their strength. It enables more efficient and cost-effective production of high-quality components with complex geometries. Optimised material properties, higher mould filling and a reduction in distortion and porosity are further advantages of the process.
The result is high-quality aluminium die-cast parts with cavities and/or internal channels.

The advantages are obvious, especially for components in power electronics, but also for media-carrying components or when it comes to targeted weight reduction, because the part produced with gas injection usually replaces an entire assembly and saves on tools or additional welding processes.

Together with its research partners, ALUWAG has worked intensively on this topic and can now use its practical experience and accumulated expertise to establish that series production using gas injection processes is a serious possibility. Compared to other processes, the potential savings in tools, materials and machining costs open up enormous advantages that lead to optimal solutions for the right components.

About ALUWAG:
ALUWAG supplies customised die-cast components and even entire assemblies to global brands from various industries. The company responds to individual customer requirements that go far beyond the usual standards.
Experience, expertise and passion form the basis for innovative die-casting solutions.
ALUWAG has an integrated quality management system and is certified to the following standards: