NADCA White Paper Shows Benefits Provided By Custom Aluminum Alloys

Wheeling, IL - Custom aluminum alloys are being used by die casters to cast parts that meet specific requirements for performance, price and product innovations, according to a new White Paper, "Using Custom Aluminum Alloys to Expand Die Casting Applications," published by the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).

Changing the alloy chemistry by varying the percentages of the 10 alloying elements that are used in addition to aluminum can deliver a variety of benefits, including increased strength, better corrosion resistance, increased wear resistance or improved thermal conductivity. Alloys can also be modified to affect the casting characteristics of the metal, improving production efficiency, or even to reduce the price of alloy compared to standard compositions.

For example, increasing the magnesium content will result in higher tensile strength, allowing designers to create lighter, thinner castings compared with standard alloys.

"NADCA has been at the forefront of conducting research to identify various characteristics of specialized aluminum die casting alloys," said Daniel L. Twarog, president. "In conjunction with Worchester Polytechnic Institute, we've created i-Select Al software to help designers, product specifiers and die casters identify the alloy chemistry needed to meet a specific set of casting properties."

The White Paper provides examples of design solutions using custom aluminum alloys, as well as charts showing how alloys can be modified to affect properties such as density, thermal conductivity, ultimate tensile strength, tensile yield strength, ductility and elasticity.

For more information or to request a copy of the latest NADCA white paper, visit: http://www.diecasting.org/oem.htm

SOURCE: North American Die Casting Association