Automated cast-to-wash die casting cell

From casting to packaging, Dynacast Lake Forest's automated conventional aluminium die casting cell delivered our customer a 60% cost saving compared with the traditional cycle time and handling associated with additional secondary processing. Watch as this cell produces die-cast parts and runs them seamlessly through the entire production process, without a single hand touching them.

The video begins with an overhead view of the entire automated process. Using the conventional cold chamber die casting process, the aluminium is first ladled into the machine.

A robot extracts the parts, which are quenched and then passed through a dryer to blow off excess fluid. The parts are then moved to the trim press. Usable materials, such as the biscuit, are returned directly to the furnace, re-melted and cast again. This helps eliminate scrap and therefore reduce costs. The remaining material is removed and processed externally for recycling.

Dynacast Lake Forest is committed to reducing its carbon footprint.

Next, a double-headed robot picks up parts and, in the same movement, places two new parts on the CNC fixture. An automatic clamp secures the part for machining. Once one side has been machined, it automatically flips the part over and machines the other side. The parts are then placed on a conveyor, where they are immediately fed into the tumble wash using ceramic media to remove any burrs.

The parts are then dried and packaged.

Continuous flow manufacturing

Using this continuous flow manufacturing process, we can reduce this customer's overall costs by 60% and significantly reduce cycle time by completely eliminating the need for batching. The entire project, including the robots and conveyors, is monitored to minimise downtime—the cell even measures and tracks yield rates. Our operations team can monitor this dashboard electronically from anywhere—even on their phones. This ensures that we continuously monitor the cell to make sure we meet our targets.

While the die casting, quench and trim process may look like a typical automated die casting cell, the real value of this operation comes from the machining. In a normal production run, parts would be cast and then wait for someone to take them to the CNC area, where they would be loaded by hand. Here, we eliminate the CNC operator. In addition, we eliminate the person who would take the parts to the tumble wash, load them and then unload them. By automating the entire process, only one person is needed to handle the parts after they have been placed in the box for packaging.

Right project, right volume

This automated cell was created for a specific project, so while this is not a typical run for our plant, it is possible. For the right project and the right volume, Dynacast can create automated cells to help customers save money and ensure product flow.  Having the capital to fund this investment is an advantage of working with Dynacast—unlike a typical job shop.