ALUMINIUM HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING DEFECTS ANALYSIS CHART

DEFECT TYPE
SHOT END PARAMETERS METAL VOLUME CLAMPING & EJECTION DIE SURFACE VACUUM & VENTING DIE CONSTRUCTION METAL
SHORT FILL
MAIN CAUSES:Metal is frozen before the cavity 1 3 6 7 8 14 15 16 17 24 28 29 31 36 37 38 41 42 43 44 46
is filled or by insufficient metal being ladled.
Metal can cool down too much
in the shot sleeve
Metal may loosing too much heat Too much metal when prefil is used may cause the Some parts of the die
in the runner and cavity change over point to be too late and therefore the may be too cold.
metal may cool down too much before second stage
COLD SHUT
MAIN CAUSES:Metal is frozen when 1 3 6 7 8 14 15 16 24 28 29 31 36 37 38 41 42 44 46
two metal fronts join.
Die expansion at cavity fill May affect fill pattern.
can cause a second layer Oxide layers could be forming
Dies being forged apart with continued Source of oxide layer
to form over the casting. during prefill.
feeding after cavity fill.
SCALING
MAIN CAUSES:Layers of metal and oxides can
be created by poor shot end control and/or bad 2 3 4 5 6 10 13 14 15 16 17 23 28 41 47
gate and runner design.
Poor runner design can cause
In correct first stage velocity can cause Sticking plunger can cause entrained air during Interrupted or uneven cavity fill. Damaged shot sleeve layering during cavity fill.
sit to be entrained in the metal first stage or variable velocity during cavity fill. can be a sourceof entrained air.
BLISTER
MAIN CAUSES:Trapped gases are in csting
when the die is opened when the casting is still 3 4 5 6 14 15 16 18 21 28 30 36 37 38 39 41 42 44
weak.This allows the compressed gas to expand
and cause a blister.
Check operating window of PQ sq diagram Steam produced form water in the If the die is poorly constructed and Die is more likely to flash
to determine if pressure and projected area cavity can cause sever flash. finished then itmay not shut off if metal is very hot.
is not too high.
FLASH
MAIN CAUSES:Metal pressure is too high upon the
projected area of the casting at the end of cavity fill. 10 13 19 23
2 7 9 25 31 35 39 41 44
This creates a force across the parting line which is
too great for the clamping force of the machine.The
die is then forced apart which allows metal to escape.
Normally second stage velocity Broken tie bar(s) or cracked platten(s) This cause is very likely Metal cmposition may cause some
change affects metal pressure. may cause flash to occur suddenly. if flash ocurs suddenly. metal to solidify at too high a temperature
in the shot sleeve.
COLDFLAKES
MAIN CAUSES:Metal is allowed to cool too
much in the shot sleeve.The solid particles are
3 8 15 16 17 24 29 31 41 42 44 46
then injected in to the cavity.These flakes are
often clearly visible on the surface of the casting
with the naked dye.
Sources of metal flakes. Too cold.
SHOT LUBE STAIN
MAIN CAUSES:This defect occurs when too
24 27 29
much shot (tip) lube is used.
Percentage of solids too high A lip on the shot sleeve & low
It is possible to reduce some Die and shot sleeve
at cavity fill.Second stage Air trapped in cavity. ejector pins,for example can cause
porosity under intensification. may be too cold.
air to be entrapped in the metal.
AIR POROSITY velocity may be the cause of this.
MAIN CAUSES:This defect is caused by trapped
air in the casting which can come from several
sources.It can be caused by poor shot end 3 4 5 6 8 11 12 14 15 16 17 24 28 29 31 36 37 38 41 43 44
control,poor venting and overflow function
or bad gating and runner design.
If the die is too cold then air
The casting shrinks as it cools.This cause Changing volume affects wave may be trapped during cavity fill
the casting to grip die components more acceleration and change over point. as two metal fronts meet
DRAG MARKS as it is left longer in the die. (similar to cold shut).
MAIN CAUSES:Insufficient draft or an undercut
causing a casting to be damaged on the surface
when it is ejected.This effect may be reduced 18 19 20 21 22 30 32 33 34 35 39 40 41 42 43 44
by changing the temperature at which the casting
is ejected.Poor surface finish of the die can
be another cause.
Metal too weak when
Varying change over point when prefil is Metal adhesion is a sigh that the die is too hot in that area and
ejecting and SOLDERING
used can cause variation in heat load on Can cause uneven die temperature. may cause other problems such as drag marks and soldering.
can occurhere also.
different parts of the die.
HOT TEARING/CRACKING
MAIN CAUSES:This defect is caused by metal
shrinking during solidification while under 1 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 24 28 30 32 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
tension.At the last place to solidify a tear
or crack develops which can be seen at the
surface (Not HOT SHORTNESS)
Adjusting these parameters may fix the Excessive Fe,Cu and Zn
problem with out dealing with the root cause. Damage from ejection. can cause hot shortness.
HOT SHORTNESS
MAIN CAUSES:The composition of the alloy
causes the metal to be too weak at high
temperatures (after soldification).This then can 18 20 21 22 30 32 40 42 44 45 46
cause cracks in the surface of the casting
to appear in regions of high stress when the
casting is cooling (and contracting).NOTE:This Shrinkage not fed.Sometimes it is not
defect can occur in conjuction with hot cracking. possible to feed shrinkage due to the
location of the gate.
SINK
MAIN CAUSES:A sink is caused by a shrinkage
cavity being near the surface of the casting.This 1 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 24 28 30 32 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
causes the surface of the casting to collapse into
the cavity as soldification occurs.Sinks are caused
by the same things as shrinkage porosity as well
as very poor thermal control of the die because
Sources of entrained air. Sources of entrained air.
hot spots are required for sinks to form.
EXPLODED METAL
MAIN CAUSES:A combination of porosity and
3 4 5 14 15 16 17 18 21 25 26 27 30 32 36 37 38 41 42 43
the casting being ejected before it has solidified
completely.This allows the trapped gasses
to burst out of the casting along with any
unsolidified metal. Poor fill patern may concentrate
Oversize biscut can explode. Poor Thermal control. heat load in a small area of the die.
WARPAGE
MAIN CAUSES:A casting can deform after
ejecting during the time it is cooling down
to room temperature.The root cause can 18 21 22 24 30 32 33 34 40 41 42 43 44 46
sometimes be the casting geometry or the alloy
specification.Warpage can be minimised by ejecting
at a lower temerature.Uneven die temperature
Variation in volume changes the
is a major cause of this type of defect.
Prefill can sometimes help reduce effective change over point.This can Die may need to be polished.
soldering in some areas. change heat distribution in the die.
SOLDERING
MAIN CAUSES:Chemical attack and bonding
of aluminium to die steel.This causes aluminium 2 5 9 15 16 17 30 32 33 34 39 41 42 44 46
to be torn away from the casting during ejection.
Soldering can be reduced be a change in ally
and/or a reduction in die/metal temperature.
Changed metal velocity can increase heat
Low levels of Fe (less than 0.6-0.7%) can cause soldering.
transfer to a problem area in some cases
SHRINKAGE POROSITY
MAIN CAUSES:This defect is caused by metal
reducing its volume during soldification and 1 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 24 28 30 32 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
an inability to feed shrinkage with more metal
before soldification.Hot spots cn also cause
shrinkage porosity to be concentrated in a
specific zones.See 'SINK' Oxide & sludge can
Shrinkage can occur when biscut Improved gating and runner design can be associated with
is too short for intensification. Die is too cold. enhance feeding of shrinkage in some area. shrinkage porosity.
HEAT CHECKING
MAIN CAUSES:This defect is caused by the
surface of the tool steel continually expanding 2 7 13 24 29 30 31 41 42 43 44
& contracting during use.Excessively cold dies
& die flexing accelerate this effect.
Metal freeszing off in runners,
Affects the change over point with respect to the
gate(s) and the cavity during Changing metal composition or type can
metal in the runner and die.This may be the cause Sources of porosity.
prefill can disrupt the fill pattern improve pressure tightness.
LEAKER and any resulting cold flakes can
of entraained air since the shot sleeve may not be
full at the change over point.
MAIN CAUSES:Causes of leaks in castings cause leakes as well.
where pressure tightness is required can be oxide
folds and/or inclusions and/or porosity
in conjuction with a surface defect which 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 14 15 16 17 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
completes the path for a leak.A close analysis
of the leaking area may reveal which of the many
causes is causing the leak.
DISCOLOURED SURFACE
MAIN CAUSES:Oxide films (dross) and/or
residues in the cavity and/or particles in the metal
6 25 26 27 29 31 33 35 42 44 45 46 47
and/or excess die lube can cause the surface
to be discoloured.Also it can be caused by a part
of the die being too cold causing the casting
to have darker regions or 'smears' on the surface. If prefill is used,the metal may be too cold and Die surface is too cold or there
cause staining/streaking on the casting surface. is too much die lube on the die surface.
BREAK OUT
MAIN CAUSES:Metal flakes (cold flakes)which
6 29 31 41 43 44 45 46 47
get caught in the gate during cavity fill can break
out unevenly when the casting is trimmed.
If the gate is partially frozen during All flux will not be used if the metal
Solidified metal in these areas can
cavity fill,break-out can occur. is too cold.Also sludge can form
be pushed down the shot sleeve
if the metal temperature is too low.
and then into the casting.
INCLUSIONS
MAIN CAUSES:The main causes of this type 15 16 17 35 44 44 46 47
of defect are dirty/contaminated metal and/or
poor melt handling practice.
Poor ejector pin location can be a contributor
along with these causes.
EJECTOR DAMAGE
MAIN CAUSES:In broad terms,it can be defined 18 20 21 22 24 29 30 32 33 34 39 40 42 43 44 46
as excessive pressure on the casting surface
by the ejector pin (s) during ejection.
EROSION/CAVITATION Metal flow is not atomised. Metal flow has 'collapsed' into a 'solid' stream. Metal freezing in runner & gate causing the
effective gate & runner area to change.
MAIN CAUSES:Erosion is caused
by direct molten metal impingment of die steel.
Cavitation type erosion is caused by turbulance
which causes low pressure regions in the flowing
8 9 29 31 39 41 42 44 45
metalThese low pressure regions cause voids
to form which can collapse at the die surface
& cause erosion.
Damage to the casting when the die is opening. Root cause can be poor die surface,bad csting
CRACKED CASTING geomerty and metal out of specification
MAIN CAUSES:A crack in the casting can (see HOT SHORTNESS)
be caused by mechanical damage when the die
is opened or when the casting is ejeted.This
classification excludes HOT CRACKING & 18 19 20 21 22 24 28 29 30 31 32 35 39 40 42 43
cracking at the surface due to SHRINKAGE
POROSITY.Also,this definition excludes
HOT SHORTNESS.
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=possible cause (s)
=least likely cause (s)
Main Reference:"Die Casting Defects"
North American Die Casting Association - NADCA