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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The determination of a system for cavity layout design for a multi-cavity die-
casting die is described in this chapter. As discussed in the last chapter, the cavity
layout design has two stages, first, design of a cavity which takes care of the shrinkage
and draft allowance, and second, determining the number of cavities and arranging
those in the die. The system is therefore divided into two modules, namely cavity
This chapter is organized into the following sections. Section 3.1 presents a
cavity design module which deals with the design of a cavity for a given part product
model considering shrinkage and draft requirements. Section 3.2 discusses cavity layout
design module, which determines the number of cavities, selects the type of feeding
system and layout pattern for the cavities, orients and places the cavities, and also
selects a suitable die-base. Section 3.3 discusses system implementation and results.
Lastly, Section 3.4 discusses conclusions drawn from the research work presented in
this chapter.
The recess or impression in a die in which the casting is formed is called the
cavity [85]. Design of a cavity is important because of its direct impact on the quality of
parts produced. The cavity design module provides shrinkage allowance to compensate
the material shrinkage, and draft allowance for easy ejection of a part from the die. The
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cavity design module of the developed system consists of two sub-modules Apply
Shrinkage Allowance and Apply Draft Allowance. These sub-modules of the cavity
to the dimensions of the die-cast part. The shrinkage allowance compensates the
material shrinkage of the solidified die-cast part, which is due to the difference between
the die temperature and the solidification temperature of the die-cast material.
Determination of shrinkage allowance for a die-cast part and its subsequent application
on its geometric model is computationally intensive. A number of factors such as: part
material, die temperature, and primary shape and size of the part should be taken into
account to calculate the value of shrinkage allowance for a given die-cast part.
by editing the part model. However, both determination and application of shrinkage
allowance for a die-cast part require much time and effort of the die-designer.
In the developed system, an attempt has been made to determine and apply
shrinkage allowance in an automated manner for a given die-cast part. Apply shrinkage
allowance sub-module of the developed system is responsible for two tasks (i)
determine the applicable shrinkage rate, and (ii) apply shrinkage allowance on a die-
cast part. The application of shrinkage allowance here means that the dimensions of the
part are scaled at the system determined rate. This functionality of the developed system
has an advantage that manual scaling of the part model is no longer required.
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developed by Choi et al. [32]. The information about die-casting alloy properties is
derived from the database, which has been sourced from references [86, 87]. The
application of shrinkage allowance on the die-cast part CAD model is carried out in two
steps. As a first step, a reference point is selected which is nothing but centroid of the
part. In the second step, the part is uniformly scaled in three orthogonal directions by
applying the system determined shrinkage allowance. The developed system is flexible
in the sense that the user has the option to either go with the shrinkage allowance
allowance was applied, is also shown in Figure 3.2. The dotted line shows actual size of
the cavity, and the outer thick line indicates the cavity size after applying shrinkage
allowance.
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Fig. 3.2: An example part with shrinkage allowance
After shrinkage allowance is applied, draft allowance is provided to the part, the
procedure for which is discussed in the next section. The information flow diagram of
the cavity design module, which performs the functions of apply shrinkage allowance
Draft allowance is the amount of taper or slope given to the cores or other parts
of the cavity to permit easy ejection of the casting from the die-casting die [55]. Draft
allowance is highly desirable on the surfaces parallel to the direction of die opening
because it facilitates ejection by allowing the die-cast part to be released easily from the
die. The value of draft allowance is normally defined by the degree of taper of a
sidewall or rib. The draft requirement, expressed as an angle, is not uniform for every
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Load Part
Select Material
Material
Database
Determine Shrinkage Allowance
Is Shrinkage
Yes
allowance
Acceptable?
No
Yes Is Draft
allowance
Acceptable?
No
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The system determines applicable draft allowance for the die-cast part using the
formula given in the reference [87]. The formula, which is applicable for standard
3.1.
57.2738
= (3.1)
where, L = Depth or height of the part feature from the neutral plane2 parallel to
Table 3.1 provides the value of constant C for different materials and geometrical
parameters.
Table 3.1: Values of constant "C" by features and depth for standard tolerances [87]
apply draft to the faces parallel to the parting direction. It is assumed that the parting
direction is already known to the user, which in the present system is taken along the Y-
axis. After shrinkage allowance has been applied, apply draft sub-module is activated
and the user is prompted to provide the information required by the system. The user
needs to select the neutral plane interactively, which is basically a reference plane or
2
A reference plane or face of the part along which the draft allowance is calculated and applied is known
as neutral plane. The value of draft allowance is zero at neutral plane.
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face of the part along which the draft allowance is calculated and applied. The system
differentiates between the outside and inside walls of the part. All the outer faces
connected to the neutral plane are known as outside walls and all the inner faces
connected to neutral plane are known as inside walls. SolidWorks API provides the
facility to distinguish between inside and outside walls of the part model. The system
can select multiple faces of the part model with the help of SolidWorks API function
select multi faces_inside/outside. This functionality of the developed system has the
given manually. A snapshot of the GUI of the apply draft allowance sub-module is
Neutral
Plane
Fig. 3.4: A snapshot of GUI for Apply Draft Allowance with part model and neutral
plane position
The system displays the value of the draft angle for outside walls through the
GUI (see Figure 3.4). The user may either proceed with the system suggested draft
angle or alternatively provide another draft angle as per the requirement. The draft
angle applied to the inside walls is double that of the outside walls of the die-cast part.
The application of the draft allowance on an example part model is shown in Figure 3.5.
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Neutral
Plane
Inside
wall
Outside
wall
Fig. 3.5: Example part model with draft on outside and inside walls of the die-cast part.
After shrinkage allowance and draft allowance is applied on the die-cast part,
the next module is the cavity layout design, which is discussed in the next section.
The systematic arrangement of the cavity (or cavities) with usual clearances in a
die is called cavity layout. A die-casting die can have one or higher number of cavities.
A die with one cavity is called a single cavity die; a single-cavity die is normally
designed for fairly large sized parts. When a die contains more than one cavity, it is
called a multi-cavity die; a multi-cavity die is often used for small size parts to make
full use of the available space in the die. It is always more economical to use a multi-
cavity die-casting die so that more number of parts can be produced in a single process
cycle. Using a multi-cavity die often reduces per unit cost of the die-cast parts, besides
increasing productivity. Reinbacker [88] suggested that on a per part cost basis, two
cavities provide little saving, eight cavities cost 25% less and 64 cavities have an
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Design of cavity layout is crucial for deciding other downstream activities
related to die-casting design and its manufacturing. Previous research attempts [39, 42]
for cavity layout design, use the case based approach and pre-loaded database, and their
applications are limited. Use of generative approach for design of cavity layout has
many advantages, but has not been given much attention. Some advantages of the
generative approach when applied to the die-casting die-design are: accurate orientation
and placement of cavities, less dependency on the designers experience, and no need of
The design of cavity layout for a multi-cavity die-casting die involves below
mentioned activities, the information flow for which is shown in Figure 3.6.
Select type of
Determine the feeding system Orient and place Design of
number of and layout the cavities die-base
cavities pattern
Fig. 3.6: A schematic showing steps of the cavity layout design module
These activities represent the sub-modules of the cavity layout design module,
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machine, and part geometric shape. The first two factors of delivery requirement and
designer must review based on the latest information. The machine parameters, such as
clamping (or locking) force, maximum flow rate, and machine platen size restrict the
number of cavities that can be used on a die-casting machine. The number of undercuts
also affects the maximum number of cavities that can be arranged in the die, and their
orientation. Therefore the selected number of cavities should not only fulfill the
procedure to find the number of cavities based on the criteria of delivery date,
The number of cavities in a die-casting die must ensure that the order can be
fulfilled within the available time period. The minimum number of cavities for meeting
the delivery date can be determined using the relationship given by Menges et al. [89].
= (3.2)
Die-casting process cycle time for each part is sum of the time taken by the die-
casting process and trimming process. The system calculates the die-casting process and
trimming process cycle time by following the procedure given by Boothroyd et al. [86],
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3.2.1.2 Part manufacturing cost [ ]
by first calculating the most economical number of cavities and then evaluating the
practically feasible. Dewhurst and Blum [43] proposed a method to calculate the
optimum number of cavities based on economic criteria that has been used in the
system.
+
= (3.3)
( + )
where, = Lot Size, = Minimum casting machine rate ($/hr), = Die casting
machine cycle time (hr), = Trim press and operator rate ($/hr), = trimming cycle
time (hr), = Cost of single-cavity die-casting die ($), = Cost of single aperture trim
The die-casting machine parameters also put a limit on the maximum number of
cavities. This is because of the reason that the number of cavities depends on die-
casting machine parameters like clamping (locking) force, maximum flow rate and
machine platen size (or machine size). Following paragraphs discuss the determination
Clamping force [ ]
The force applied by the machine must exceed the pushing force generated
within the die in order to hold two die halves together [90]. The maximum number of
cavities is calculated using the procedure laid down by Boothroyd et al. [86].
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= (3.4)
where, = Maximum clamping force (N), = Projected area of each cavity, its
overflow and runner (mm2), = Maximum metal pressure (MPa), = Factor of safety
The system takes as 1.75 times the projected area of individual cavity to
The flow rate means the volume of molten metal that is pushed into the cavity
per second by shot system of the die-casting machine. The flow rate required for filling
the cavity should not be more than the machine capacity [90]. The maximum number of
= (3.5)
where, = Volume of molten metal that is pushed into the cavity by shot
system (mm3), = Volume of each cavity, its overflow, runner and gate, etc. (mm3).
The system calculates the volume of each cavity, its overflow and runner, , by
= (1 + 2/) (3.6)
where, is the average wall thickness of the die-cast part (mm) and is the
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Machine size [ ]
The distance between the tie bars of the machine decides the maximum size of
the die that can be used on it. When choosing the number of cavities, one should assure
that all cavities be contained within the die, and that adequate margins be provided.
Assuming that the cavities are arranged in a rectangular array in the die, the maximum
= ( ) ( ) (3.7)
+ 0.5 + 0.5
where, and are the allowable maximum length and width of the die
used (mm), and are the length and width of the cavity (mm), =
Minimum margin between the edges of the die and cavity (mm), = Minimum
distance between the cavities (mm), and ( ) is a mathematical function to round off
The number of cavities accounting for all the three machine parameters is found
depends upon the number of side-cores (or side-pulls) and their location, which factors
design is found by applying well practiced rules followed in the industry. For example,
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a part having undercuts on four sides is limited to a single-cavity die, whereas a part
Once the number of cavities is calculated based on the factors of delivery date,
part manufacturing cost, machine parameters, and part geometrical details, the next step
is to use this information to select the most suitable number of cavities. The information
flow diagram to find most suitable number of cavities is shown in Figure 3.7 and is
The system takes CAD file of the part as input and extracts required information
such as volume, and envelope size from it. Other information about projected area,
longest part depth, number of undercuts and their position, lot size, delivery date,
The longest part depth is first checked against the machine clamp stroke by
using the method proposed by Blum [91]. This is done to ensure that the selected
machine is technically permissible. The selected machine is then used to determine the
namely clamping force, maximum flow rate and machine size. If the selected number of
time limitations, is selected as the number of cavities, else next machine with
higher capacity is selected from the machine database, and its suitability is checked. As
following the procedure mentioned in section 3.2.1.4. The lower number out of
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the machine and material databases; Table 3.2 and Table 3.3 provide representative
The next activity in the cavity layout design module is the selection of type of
feeding system and cavity layout pattern, which are discussed in the next section.
User
CAD File
User Interface
Part Feature
Data
Machine
Database
Re-select Material
Database
Select Machine
Determine
No
Is > ?
Yes
No
Is N >N ?
Yes
Number of Cavities
= min (N ,N )
Fig. 3.7: Information flow diagram for determination of number of cavities for multi-
cavity die
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Table 3.2:Representative Material Database [86]
The cavity layout design module that selects the type of feeding system and
layout pattern for a multi-cavity is discussed. First, types of feeding system and layout
patterns used in the die-casting industry are discussed. Next, factors affecting selection
of layout pattern are discussed. Lastly, methodology for selection of feeding system and
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3.2.2.1Selection of feeding system and layout pattern
(i) Feeding system: It is used to inject the molten die-casting alloy into the die.
Two types of feeding system are most common, namely central feeding and bottom
feeding, both of which have been shown in Figure 3.8. In central feeding system, the
shot hole is positioned in the centre of the cavities, whereas the shot hole is offset by a
clearance distance from centre of the cavities in the bottom feeding system.
Cavities
Shot Hole
Selection of the feeding system depends upon the die-casting alloy and the types
of die-casting machine used, namely hot chamber and cold chamber. Hot chamber
machines are used for low melting point materials, such as tin, lead and zinc, whereas
cold chamber machines are used for high melting point materials, such as aluminium
and copper [87]. Interaction with the die-casting manufacturers have revealed that the
bottom feeding system is mostly used in cold chamber die-casting machines, whereas
and non-geometrically balanced layout patterns [92], which are discussed in the
following paragraphs.
types, namely symmetric, and circular; these layout patterns are shown in Figure
3.9 (a-b). Geometrically balanced layout patterns are also known as standard
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cavity layout patterns and have the advantages that they provide equal flow
length to all cavities without gate or runner size correction. The equal flow
are also of two types, namely series, and in-line; these layout patterns are shown
in Figure 3.9 (c-d). Non-geometrically balanced layout patterns are also known
types of layout patterns do not provide equal flow length to all cavities and
require gate and runner size correction for proper filling of the cavities. Due to
Fig. 3.9: Types of cavity layouts patterns (a) Symmetric (b) Circular (c) Series
(d) In-line
and size, gate position, type of die-casting machine, and type of feeding system. These
cavities. Even or odd number of cavities effects selection of the type of layout
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Product shape and size: Presence of undercut features and their location on the
part affects the maximum number of cavities and their orientation. To allow
movement of the side-core, the undercut feature should be placed along an outer
edge of the die. Another factor that affects the selection of layout pattern is the
length to width ratio of the die-cast part (please see Figure 3.12).
Furthermore, the area of the part that has undercut feature is not a good choice
Feeding system: The selection of type of feeding system also affects the
3.2.2.3 Methodology for the selection of types of feeding system and layout pattern
The methodology used for the selection of types of feeding system and layout
Section 3.2.2.1. The type of feeding system, affects the selection of layout pattern. For
central feeding system, the types of layout pattern used are circular, series and
symmetric, whereas for bottom feeding system, in-line, half-circular and series layout
pattern are used. These layout patterns are shown in Figure 3.10. The system suggests
the type of feeding system and layout pattern to the user through the GUI. Alternatively,
the GUI allows the user to select alternative feeding system or layout pattern a snapshot
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Circular Series Symmetric
(a) Central feeding system
In case of a central feeding system the rules for selection of layout pattern are
discussed. In most of the cases, for an odd number of cavities, circular layout pattern is
selected. For even number of cavities, when the number is a power series of number 2
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Number of Cavities as selected
No No
Is N even? Is N even?
Yes Yes
No X No
L/W <= 1.5? N=2 ?
Knowledge
Base
Fig. 3.12: Information flow diagram for selection of cavity layout pattern
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(such as 2, 4, 8, 16...etc), symmetrical layout pattern is selected, else, series layout
pattern is selected.
In case of a bottom feeding system the rules for selection of layout pattern are
discussed. For an odd number of cavities, half-circular layout pattern is selected. For
even number of cavities, when L/W <= 1.5 (where, L and W are the length and width of
the part respectively), in-line layout pattern is selected else series layout pattern is
selected. The user has a choice to either go with the system suggested layout pattern or
knowledge-base. The developed system uses well laid down industrial practice to arrive
at a suitable layout pattern. For example, if a single cavity die is being designed, the
After the number of cavities is determined, and the feeding system and layout
pattern are decided, the next activity in the cavity layout design module is to orient and
position the individual cavities in the die-base. The procedure for orientation and
paragraphs.
For proper orientation and placement of cavities in the die-base, various factors
like the number of undercuts and their position, and positioning of the gate are
important. Use of well-established rules and industrial practices is made to decide the
undercuts and their location puts a restriction on the orientation of cavities. That side of
the cavity, which contains undercut feature, should be placed along outer edge of the
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die-base. Therefore, that side of the cavity, which does not contain an undercut,
Once orientation of individual cavities has been finalized, the next step is to
provide the clearances to accommodate the feed system (biscuit, runner and overflow
wells) and side-core mechanism. A database of clearances has been developed after
consulting die-casting industries, available literature [86, 87, 92] and interviewing die
die is shown in Table 3.4. The database contains minimum value of clearances required
between adjacent cavities, between the die-base edge and the cavity, clearance for feed
overflow wells, which in turn are dependent upon the shot volume. For bottom feeding
clearances are incorporated in the developed system to achieve automated cavity layout
design. All possible arrangements for orientation and placement of cavities are
determined and one with the minimum area is suggested by the system.
Side
Clearance
Clearance
within
cavities
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Table 3.4: Clearance database for a die-casting die [86]
Once the cavity layout design is ready, same is used to prepare CAD model of
the die-base. A die-base is nothing but a rectangular block of metal in which all the
cavities are placed. The die-base is thereafter used to make core and cavity halves of a
die-casting die. Furthermore, it is found that instead of using suggested size of the die-
base, standard die-base sizes are used in the industry. By using a standard die-base size,
unnecessary machining is avoided, which helps in reducing the machining cost. The
developed system first determines the minimum die-base size, thereafter, next higher
standard size of the die-base is selected from the standard die-base database. The
selected die-base is then used to generate the design of core and cavity.
System implementation and results for cavity layout design module are
3
D is the depth of undercut feature.
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3.3.1 System for cavity layout design
The system for cavity layout design for a multi-cavity die-casting die is
implemented in SolidWorks 2010 environment using its API. The system extracts
geometrical information of the part from its CAD file, while other required information
is taken from the user interactively. The developed system is supported by the databases
The information flow diagram for cavity layout design module is presented in
3.2.1.
ii. Selection of feeding system and layout pattern is carried out, the procedure for
iii. Orientation and placement of the cavities is decided following the procedure
iv. If feasible cavity layouts determined by the system are more than one, then the
layout pattern having the minimum die-base size is chosen by the system.
v. A standard size die-base is selected from the database following the procedure
The output from the cavity layout design module is CAD model of the die-base,
enclosing all the cavities with usual clearance. A snapshot of the output of cavity layout
design module for an example part is presented in Figure 3.15. When referred to Figure
3.15, the number of cavities is three with in-line layout pattern and bottom feeding
system.
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Load 3-D Part
CAD File
Model
Part Feature
Data
Clearance
Determine Orientations and Placement of Database
Cavities
Is Feasible
No Layouts > 1?
Yes
Fig. 3.14: Information flow diagram for cavity layout design module
An attempt has been made to make the cavity layout design system close to the
industrial practice. A comparison statement of the developed system with the practice
being followed in the industry for cavity layout design is presented in Table 3.5.
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3 cavities
Die Base
Runner with 3
cavities
Biscuit
Fig. 3.15: A snapshot of output of cavity layout design module for a three cavity die
with bottom feeding system
Table 3.5: Comparison statement between general industrial practice and methodology
adopted for cavity layout design
The die designer selects the layout pattern The layout pattern is decided based on the
mainly based on the number of cavities. number of cavities suggested.
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Orientation / The gate location and undercut position are The orientation of cavities in a die-base is
Placement of the major factors affecting the orientation governed by the factors, like location of the
Cavities and placement of cavities. undercuts and position of gate. That side
of part, which is not having any undercut
feature is considered as a candidate side for
gate positioning.
The undercut bearing side of the part is not The user may select the die layout from
suitable for gate location. This is due to the available alternatives based on the user
reason that the side core mechanism is to preference of gate location.
be accommodated on that side, which has
the undercut. The presence of undercuts
also affects the clearances to make sure
that the positioning and movement of the
side-cores is made without any problem.
There are set norms for providing A clearance database has been developed
clearances. Sometimes the side-clearance after consulting the die-casting industry,
of a die is made somewhat liberal than the available literature, and interviewing local
minimum accepted values because of the die designers and die manufactures.
reason that the die-bases are available in
the standard sizes and reducing their size
by machining is avoided in the industry.
The die-base size is selected from the Various possible layout arrangements are
standard sizes available, which ensures shown by the system and the layout with
minimum cost. the minimum die-base size is accepted.
The die-base size, which is close to the
accepted die-base size, and is from the
library of standard die-base sizes, is
selected.
3.3.2 Results
The developed system has been tested on a number of die-cast parts including
those with undercut features. Results for four such case study parts are presented in the
following paragraphs.
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Case study: Part 1
The number of cavities determined by the system for case study part 1 shown in
Figure 3.16 is four and the layout pattern selected is symmetric. Four rectangular blocks
in the figure show the position of cavities in the die-base. The size of single rectangular
block is equal to the envelop size of the part, which in this case is 160 mm x 120 mm,
whereas size of the die-base determined by the system is 465 mm x 585 mm. The
Undercut features
of the part
465
Undercut
features of
585
the part
Fig. 3.17: A snapshot of the cavity layout design for case study part 1
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Case study: Part 2
The number of cavities determined by the system for case study part 2 shown in
Figure 3.18 is five, and the layout pattern selected is circular. The cavity layout pattern
for this part is shown in Figure 3.19. The envelope size of the part is 110 mm x 110
mm, while the die-base size is 760 mm x 760 mm. The system arranges the cavities in a
760
760
Fig. 3.19: A snapshot of the cavity layout design for case study part 2
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In both the cases discussed above, the number of cavities determined by the
system is sufficient to meet the delivery time. Although, more number of cavities could
have been geometrically possible for these parts, same is not explored with an intention
Material: Aluminium
Undercut Side: 1
Undercut
Side
Undercut features
of the part
715
825
Fig. 3.21: A snapshot of the cavity layout design for housing cover
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The developed system is also used for some specific die-casting parts provided
by the die-casting industry. One of the parts named housing cover is shown in Figure
3.20, wherein the dimensions of the part and its features are also shown. The part has an
undercut feature on one side of the part. The number of cavities determined by the
system for the part is four and the layout pattern selected is symmetric. Figure 3.21
gives system generated cavity layout arrangement for this part along with its
dimensions. The dimensions of the housing cover are 245 mm x 215 mm, while the size
of the die-base determined by the system is 825 mm x 715 mm. This die-base
calculation is based on the minimum die-base size that can accommodate all the cavities
with usual clearances. The system selects three sides, which do not have any undercut
as the candidate sides for gate location, and to determine possible alternative layouts.
The layout with the minimum die-base size has been chosen as final cavity layout.
Another industrial die-cast part namely brake shoe is shown in Figure 3.22. For
this part also, dimensions and its features have been indicated alongside its figure. This
part does not have any undercut feature. Number of cavities determined by the system
for this part is six and layout pattern selected is series. Figure 3.23 gives system
generated cavity layout arrangement for this part along with its dimensions. Dimension
of Brake Shoe is 100 mm x 50 mm, while size of the die-base determined by the system
is 600 mm x 325 mm. The system selects all four sides of the part as possible sides for
gate location and displays four alternative results for die layout. Out of these four
layouts, two results have minimum die-base size. In this type of scenario, the die layout
selection is based on the gate location. That side of the part which does not have any
Figure 3.22, it is clear that the gate is located on the side which is not having assembly
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requirement. Opposite side of the brake shoe part need to be assembled (or fitted) with
Surface for
fitting liners
Material: Aluminium
600
325
Fig. 3.23: A snapshot of the cavity layout design for brake shoe
Results obtained for both the industrial parts are compared with those taken
from the industry. This comparison is presented in Table 3.6. It is found that the results
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generated by the system are very close to the industrial practice. Maximum variation
found between system generated results and actual industry practice is below 10 % and
for which there are sound reasons. This difference is because of the reason that
industries use standard size die-base while developed system calculates the die-base
with minimum size. However, clearances provided in the die layout for system
generated results and those obtained from industry have minor variation only, which is
Die Base Size (mm x mm) 825 x 715 900 x 900 600 x 325 700 x 450
Summary and Remarks Major difference between system results and industry for both the parts is
for side-clearance only which does not make any effect on layout of the die
or the gating system. Clearance between the cavities for the housing cover is
having a difference of 5 mm only (5%), while for the brake shoe the system
results and industry results matched. This difference in clearances is because
of the reason that industry uses standard size of die-base size directly to
avoid unnecessary machining and liberal clearances are given because of
availability of space in the die-base. The die-base size mentioned in the
table is the minimum value determined by the system. However the system
selects next standard size die-base, which is 900 x 900 for Housing cover
and 700 x 450 for Brake shoe, leaving no difference in the die-base size.
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3.4 Conclusions
System for cavity layout design for a multi-cavity die-casting die has been
casting process. Proper selection of cavity layout at die-design stage is a major problem
faced by the die-casting industry. The developed system would be very useful for the
die-casting industries as it would help in reducing the human expertise and efforts
required for selection of cavity layout. The developed system is user-friendly and makes
Following are the major conclusions drawn from this research work:
The developed system works as an add-on application for cavity layout design
for multi-cavity die-casting die for an existing CAD software, which in this case
The system determines the applicable shrinkage rate from the die-cast material
information, and applies it on the die-cast part CAD model. This functionality of
allowance and subsequent scaling of the die-cast part CAD model are no longer
required. This has resulted in approximate 50% saving in time and effort of the
The system determines applicable draft on inside and outside walls of the part
model. The draft allowance is then applied on the die-cast part CAD model in an
automated fashion with single input from the user. The user only needs to select
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the position of neutral plane. The system takes into account the factors of type
and depth of wall, material, etc., to determine the draft allowance. This is also a
major advantage because the user does not have to go through the lengthy
procedure of calculations and manually apply the draft allowance on each walls
there are no systematic procedures available to select the layout pattern for the
die. Since the decision of the layout patterns is affected by a number of factors
such as material, part geometry, and machine used, the proposed systematic
and industrial practices are used to decide this critical aspect. The system
accepts the one which has the minimum die-base size. The die-base size is
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Developed system was tested on a number of die-cast parts taken from the
industry. The results obtained from the system are quite close to those obtained
out with the help of CAD system while cavity layout design activity is done
time. It has been observed that with the help of the developed system significant
results. The average time saving for each activity in the cavity layout design was
recorded and is shown in Table 3.7. Approximate time taken by the industry for
cavity layout design is 8 hours 17 min, while the developed system could do that
in 13 minutes.
Table 3.7: Comparison of average time taken in cavity layout design by general
industry practice and the developed system
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