Measurement and Analysis of Die Casting Defects

Die-casting is a casting method in which molten metal such as aluminum alloy, zinc alloy, magnesium alloy, and copper alloy is poured into precision molds under high pressure. This method is used for various products because of its ability to provide excellent dimensional accuracy, beautiful and smooth cast surfaces, and high productivity.
It is said that automotive components account for a majority of all the die-cast products manufactured.
In particular, aluminum alloy die-casting is frequently used in automotive components because it features higher electrical/thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and workability as well as a lighter weight and a higher strength compared to zinc alloy die-casting, thereby achieving products with low cost and high recycle efficiency.
Automotive applications include cylinder blocks, transmission cases, and rocker covers. Conventional die-cast products often contain gas, which makes heat treatment and welding difficult, so it is said that it is difficult to apply such products to automotive undercarriage and body components. In recent years, however, special die-casting methods, such as laminar flow die-casting and high-vacuum die-casting, have led to the application of die-casting in more difficult products. Along with this trend, requirements for the functionality and quality of casting have also increased.

In die-casting processes for automotive components, caution is required for the temperature of molten metal and molds, the pressure during filling into molds, and casting defects caused by gas and air contained in metals. Casting defects will lead to lower strength and thus greatly affect the safety quality of automobiles.
Typical defects that occur inside or on the surface of casting, such as cast holes, and their causes and countermeasures are listed in the table below.

One of the requirements for the evaluation and defect analysis of cast holes and cast surfaces is magnified observation using microscopes. However, because die-cast products are three dimensional, such observation involves problems like the time and effort required for focus adjustment, difficulty of observation and analysis, and variations in defect evaluations.
These factors have led to an increase in magnified observation using Digital Microscopes. KEYENCE's VHX Series ultra-high-definition 4K Digital Microscope, which is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, makes it possible to clearly capture cast holes and cast surfaces in die-casting to enable quantitative evaluation with extremely high work efficiency.

The VHX Series high-definition 4K Digital Microscope can support not only clear magnified observation using high-resolution 4K images, but also automatic measurement and 2D/3D measurement that are not possible with conventional microscopes.
The VHX Series can be used to quickly identify causes of defects and prevent their reoccurrence thanks to its functions that rapidly provide detailed images and numeric data of cast holes, rough cast surfaces, and other defects at die-casting sites. With these functions, a single VHX Series microscope works as an indispensable tool to improve quality and yield rates amid the expanding breadth of applications for die-cast products and their increasing functional requirements.
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