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<p>Dynacast Elgin is a 112,000-square-foot facility located north-west of Chicago on 4.3 acres. Situated just 45 minutes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the Elgin site supports customers across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and other regions throughout North America. Its secondary manufacturing department specialises in high-volume, high-speed tapping. Below are additional details outlining the capabilities and services available at the Elgin location.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Zinc Multi-Slide die casting</li><li>Conventional aluminium</li><li>Precision tooling manufacture with in-house capabilities</li><li>Design, prototyping and modelling services</li><li>Wide range of secondary operations including CNC machining, tapping, reaming, drilling, thermal deburring, X-ray, in-line vibratory feeder and spectrometer</li><li>Wide range of finishing surfaces available including tumbling, polishing and shot blasting</li><li>Network of certified suppliers that can offer any cosmetic or protective coating you may need to finish your product</li></ul>

Dynacast Elgin, Illinois

Dynacast - Elgin - L3

Elgin, IL

<p>Dynacast Lake Forest is located in Orange County, Southern California. The facility specialises in die casting zinc alloys using both conventional and Multi-Slide machines, as well as die casting aluminium alloys. Supported by a dynamic, highly skilled workforce, Dynacast Lake Forest delivers advanced manufacturing technology and exceptional service to both new and existing customers. Below are additional details outlining the capabilities available at the Lake Forest location.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Multi-Slide zinc die casting</li><li>Conventional zinc die casting</li><li>Aluminium die casting</li></ul><ul><li>Precision toolmaking with in-house capabilities</li><li>Tooling design, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), prototyping and modelling services</li><li>Wide range of secondary operations including CNC machining, tapping, reaming and drilling</li><li>Wide range of finishing surfaces available, including tumbling, polishing, shot blasting and thermal deburring</li><li>Network of certified suppliers able to offer any cosmetic or protective coating required to finish your product</li><li>Conventional and CMM inspection, &nbsp;X-ray inspection, advanced ultrasonic cleaning, installation, assembly and testing operations, including electrical, air and water leak testing</li></ul>

Dynacast Lake Forest, California

Dynacast - Lake Forest - L3

Lake Forest, CA

<p>Dynacast Mexico is located north of Mexico City. As a die casting supplier in Mexico, this facility is dedicated to die casting zinc and aluminium alloys using both conventional and Multi-Slide die casting machines. Our Mexico die casting facility has also been a front-runner in increased process automation. Below are further details of what we offer at the Mexico City location:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Zinc Multi-Slide die casting</li><li>Conventional zinc die casting</li><li>Aluminium die casting</li><li>Precision toolmaking with in-house capabilities</li><li>Design, prototyping and modelling services</li><li>Wide range of secondary operations, including CNC machining, tapping, reaming, thermal deburring, high-pressure cleaning and drilling</li><li>Wide range of available surface finishes, including tumbling, polishing, shot blasting and thermal deburring</li><li>Network of certified suppliers able to provide any cosmetic or protective coating required to finish your product</li><li>AIAG-compliant delivery system for automation management at customer warehouses&nbsp;</li></ul>

Dynacast Mexico City, Mexico

Dynacast - Mexico City - L3

Mexico City, MX

<p>Dynacast Peterborough is known for its Multi-Slide technology, conventional die casting with integrated automation, and IMA (Injected Metal Assembly) precision zinc manufacturing. IMA, a type of insert moulding, offers a unique process in which precision tooling is combined with metal alloys to join multiple components into a ready-to-use assembly in a single operation. The facility also features advanced aluminium hot chamber Multi-Slide capabilities, including fast cycle times (up to 10 cycles per minute), a very low runner-to-casting ratio, and fully automated in-line processing that produces flash-free components. Dynacast Peterborough is dedicated to designing, building, manufacturing and delivering quality die cast components. Below are further details of what is offered at the Peterborough location:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Conventional zinc die casting machines</li><li>Zinc Multi-Slide die casting</li><li>Hot chamber Multi-Slide aluminium die casting</li><li>Injected Metal Assembly (IMA)/insert moulding</li></ul><ul><li>In-house precision toolmaking capabilities</li><li>Design, prototyping and modelling services</li><li>A wide range of secondary operations, including CNC machining, tapping, reaming and drilling</li><li>A wide range of surface finishes, including tumbling, polishing, shot blasting and thermal deburring</li><li>Cosmetic or protective coating equipment, available in-house or through certified suppliers</li></ul>

Dynacast Peterborough, Ontario

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Peterborough, ON

26 locations worldwide, 1,100+ customers worldwide, and 1,000+ employees in North America.

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Components such as housings, connectors and heat sinks for electric vehicles, powered by clean energy sources, play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality, helping to create a more sustainable transport system.

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<p>New to the die casting process? Learn how to apply design strategies effectively for optimal manufacturability here.</p><h2>Design for manufacturability</h2><p>Optimising your component design to take advantage of the die casting process is key to achieving a return on your investment. Whether your project is best suited to <a href="/die-casting-technologies/conventional-die-casting" target="_self">conventional die casting</a>, <a href="/die-casting-technologies/multi-slide" target="_self">multi-slide die casting</a> or <a href="/die-casting-technologies/sub-assembly" target="_self">injected metal assembly</a>, it is best to design your component with the production process in mind. In other words, engineers should approach each project with the aim of designing for optimal manufacturability.</p><p>Design for manufacturing (DFM) is a core methodology that ensures die cast parts perform to specification and reduces the need for secondary operations. As these operations can often represent as much as 80% of the component cost, it is important to minimise them during the design stage.</p><p>DFM is more than just a concept—it is a way to remove cost and eliminate inefficiencies before your project moves towards production. <strong>In this blog, we will guide you through three ways to design your die cast component for maximum ROI.</strong></p><h2>Reduce weight and wall thickness</h2><p>In die casting, two of the highest cost drivers are material and machine time. You can reduce the need for both by adding weight-saving pockets and reducing wall thickness.</p><p>Reducing weight and wall thickness in cross-sections may seem like an obvious solution. Less weight means less material, and less material means lower material cost. It also means reduced solidification time, which means you achieve more shots per minute. However, some companies find themselves sacrificing performance for cost.</p><p>With part performance in mind, it is important to reduce weight and wall thickness deliberately while maintaining part strength. When designing your component, you will need to use your project's mechanical and physical requirements to select the most appropriate alloy that will perform effectively with thin walls.</p><p>For example, if your part needs to be corrosion-resistant and stable, thin-wall aluminium is a good fit. Aluminium is corrosion-resistant and retains high dimensional stability and hardness.</p><p>Would you like to learn which alloy is the best fit for your project? Use our <a href="/metals/metal-selector-tool" target="_self">dynamic metal selector tool</a> to filter for your required mechanical and physical properties!</p><h2>Maintain consistent wall thickness</h2><p>While seeking reduced wall thickness, it is perhaps even more important to maintain uniformity. This will help ensure a consistently stable, repeatable casting optimised for manufacturing.</p><p>Varying wall thickness can lead to porosity caused by varying flow pressures and non-uniform solidification. At Dynacast, our engineers have many techniques for achieving a net-shape component through die casting while maintaining consistent wall thickness.</p><p>In Figure 2, you can see that the component on the left has several walls that are much thicker than the thinnest part of the component. If cast this way, it would produce a weaker, porous part. Instead, our engineers will core out the thicker walls to achieve greater uniformity and incorporate ribs in the cored sections to guarantee part strength.</p><h2>Consider draft angle and tolerance zones</h2><p>When designing your component, it is important to consider the achievable draft angles and tolerances for your project's materials to avoid delays caused by redesigns. For draft angles, in general, 0.5º is achievable for zinc; 1º-2º is achievable for aluminium. For exact tolerances, generally between ±0.001” and ±0.002” is possible for zinc, whereas aluminium can hold between ±0.002” and ±0.004”.</p><p>With achievable draft angles and tolerances in mind, you are better equipped to avoid engineering unnecessary cost into the design. Too often, companies request exacting tolerances and minimal draft angles when such features are not needed to maximise part performance. As a result, their castings fail.</p><p>Instead, take a more holistic approach to your design. Identify the non-critical dimensions of your component to allow for more lenient tolerance zones. In addition to extending the life of your tool because there are fewer exact geometries that wear down, allowing for tolerance zones also makes it easier to plan the tolerance stack-up of your entire component. This will help you avoid machining and secondary operations wherever possible, making your design work for you to get the most from the die casting process.</p><h2>Work smarter, not harder</h2><p>Modifying your part design to take advantage of the die casting process not only enables you to fully leverage the efficiencies of die casting, but can also better meet your business needs.</p><p>Are you interested in learning more about efficiently designing your die cast component for optimal manufacturability? Register for our webinar, <a href="/resources/webinar/removing-cost-in-the-design-stage" target="_self">Removing Cost in the Design Stage</a>.</p>

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Understand the fundamentals of die casting design and improve part function, durability and manufacturability with Dynacast engineering expertise and guidance.

Beginner's guide to die casting design | Dynacast

Explore strategies for optimising die casting design, including weight reduction, uniform wall thickness and draft angles, to maximise manufacturability and ROI in your projects. 

A beginner's guide to die casting design

<h3>Machining conversion to die casting</h3><p>If you’ve seen the breathtaking aerial footage <a href="/industries/autonomous-drone-systems" target="_self">drone cameras</a> are capable of, you know it’s possible to get film-like, smooth video from today’s go-anywhere cameras. GoPro needed to affordably deliver that same, incredible stability to adventure athletes on the ground, underwater, or in flight—instead of the bounced-around “shaky cam” look that’s inevitable with a handheld device.</p><h3>Bringing video down to earth</h3><p>Without stabilisation, the jarring agitation of any handheld video is obvious on screen.</p><p>It’s even worse for adventure athletes: the conditions are anywhere from unpredictable to extreme; there’s not always a logical place to mount the camera; and “just stand still” is a foreign concept. For these video creators, stabilising equipment is key.</p><p>GoPro already had a stabilisation system for use with a quadcopter-style drone, but customers love to get close-up footage right inside the action.</p><p>The company decided to re-purpose the drone mounting component into a piece customers could use to attach GoPro cameras to handheld and body-worn stabilisers instead.</p><h3>Epic versatility</h3><p>“The products we make endure a wide variety of uses,” explains Matt Thomas, Mechanical Engineering Manager for GoPro accessories. “Everything from skiing to SCUBA diving to chasing your kids through a park.”</p><p>That meant the mount would have to be strong—and for consumer use, it would need to provide cost savings through thousands of units and many years. In order to expedite time to market, GoPro’s designers initially specified the mount as an all-machined metal component.</p><p>“While that was the quickest way for us to get to market,” says Thomas, “it was also more expensive. So in parallel, we investigated a longer term, more cost-friendly option.”</p><p><strong>To determine the optimal materials and processes to reduce costs for the replacement part GoPro wanted, the team brought in Dynacast.</strong></p><h3>Casting decisions</h3><p>“We utilised Dynacast’s services in the past on a number of projects, and they’ve become one of our top tier suppliers,” says Thomas. The two companies had also worked together in sessions that Dynacast held to explore cost reduction and <a href="/additional-capabilities/part-improvement" target="_self">manufacturability improvements</a>. And the first thing they agreed on was minimising the costs related to processing.</p><p>“Extrusion is great for making a two-dimensional part, but then when you add other features to it, you have to machine it as a secondary process, and that’s what adds the cost,” says Bill Heilman of Dynacast. “We told them, you don’t have to add machining. We can just cast it in that shape.”</p><h3>Handle—with care</h3><p>The GoPro team’s overarching goal was to reduce the cost but had other requirements for the part too. “We needed strength and a lightweight component. Something that would handle a variety of environmental situations,” says Thomas.</p><p>And, since the part is a handle that people would operate with their fingers (often in extreme conditions, and maybe not with the gentlest touch), the team needed to make sure that the feel would be acceptable to the end user.</p><p>Because materials have different options for surface treatments, keeping the post-processing work to a minimum was important, with respect to secondary polishing and machining of the components—and getting the precise anodisation colour. They ultimately cast it in aluminium, to match the existing parts on the mount—but also to achieve their cost-reduction goals.</p><h3>Material selection</h3><p>“We tell customers, ‘Don’t assume because you chose one particular manufacturing process that that’s the only way to make the part,’” says Dynacast’s Heilman.</p><p>Matt Thomas would agree. “When we first started, the cast part represented an approximately 50% savings over the machined part”—making <a href="/metals/aluminum" target="_self">die-cast aluminium</a> a clear choice for both cost reduction and manufacturability goals.</p><p>“It’s great to see product out on the market and being sold,” says Thomas. “Dynacast is very responsive, very timely with their communication, easy to work with. It’s just the ease of collaboration in taking the design from concept to tooling.”</p><p>If you are looking for a partnership to help you apply new tools and technologies, or help you fully realise your design vision, let us help you move your business forward, contact our team today to get the conversation started.</p>

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Discover how converting from machining to die casting can lower costs, improve speed and boost precision in the manufacture of metal components for production.

Switch from machining to die casting for efficiency

This case study highlights how GoPro partnered with Dynacast to convert a machined metal component into a die-cast aluminium part, resulting in significant cost savings and improved manufacturability for their camera stabilisation mounts.

Machining conversion to die casting

<p>Looking for a manufacturing solution that can join two or more dissimilar components? Our <a href="/die-casting-technologies/sub-assembly" target="_self">injected metal assembly (IMA) process</a> provides a permanent, reliable bond by injecting a small amount of molten zinc around the components being joined.</p><p><strong>Learn more about IMA by downloading our webinar!</strong></p><p>We’ll cover:</p><ul><li>The IMA process</li><li>The advantages of using this innovative bonding method</li><li>Materials that can be joined using the IMA process</li><li>Applications and solutions for a <a href="/industries" target="_self">variety of industries</a></li></ul><p><strong>Fill in the form to access the webinar! </strong></p>

Injected Metal Assembly Video

Discover how Injected Metal Assembly (IMA) works and improves component strength, dimensional precision and production speed across diverse applications.

What Is Injected Metal Assembly? | Dynacast

See how our Injected Metal Assembly (IMA) process creates a permanent, reliable bond by injecting molten zinc around dissimilar components—ideal for a wide range of industries. 

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