Facility spotlight: Lake Forest

Designed for speed, agility, and flexibility, the 115,000 square foot die casting plant manufactures more than 144 million parts a year for a number of industries including automotive, consumer electronics, hardware, telecommunications, and healthcare—and it does so with low-cost energy. In the spring of 2016, Dynacast Lake Forest initiated an energy project that utilises Tesla's PowerPack batteries. The modular battery blocks store energy for the plant to use on demand during peak hours and are integral to its overall sustainability initiative. During this same time, Dynacast Lake Forest opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico that serves as an extension of the Southern California plant.

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Speed and agility

Dynacast Lake Forest is not only conscious of its energy consumption, but is also continuously improving its lean manufacturing process. Its facility optimisation layout is a carefully considered plan for storage and production that standardises the precision die casting process. Its melt-at-the-machine process limits waste and allows it to work with a wider selection of materials, including K-Alloy, ZA-27, 413, and 360. Dynacast Lake Forest focuses primarily on Multi-Slide zinc, 80T – 200T conventional zinc, and 135T – 500T aluminium die casting.

The experienced management and operations team has reviewed every aspect of the manufacturing process with a focus on improvement and modernisation. Lake Forest is committed to producing the highest-quality parts with the least possible waste, beginning with material flow.

Design & tooling in Lake Forest

Dynacast Lake Forest has an experienced engineering and tooling team—several with more than 25 years of service—with global resources readily available to address any project. Using PRO-E design automation software and MAGMA mould flow simulation, the team is committed to designing the best possible component while providing full DFM to ensure parts can be produced in high volumes. Its in-house toolroom is an added advantage; with CNC milling, EDM, wire EDM, and grinding equipment on site, tools can be repaired faster and projects delivered on time.

Secondary operations & quality control

As labour costs in Asia rise, the new Tijuana facility provides further access to skilled labour in Mexico for metal finishing and secondary operations, including CNC machining, tapping, reaming, and drilling. With a dynamic and highly skilled workforce in Mexico and Southern California, Dynacast Lake Forest can provide improved service and state-of-the-art technology to new and existing customers. The Southern California facility benefits from a local, high-tech supply base that is a legacy of the aerospace industry, leaving experienced platers and secondary operations in the area and providing more cost-effective part pricing for Lake Forest customers.

Following casting, the Lake Forest team has the knowledge and tools to complete all final product testing, including electrical, RF, and leak testing. It can visually inspect parts using high-speed cameras and X-rays. It also has a state-of-the-art ultrasonic DÜRR advanced cleaning system that leaves parts with an organic residue of <100µg and metallic particle sizes <400µm. The alcohol-based solvent has a cycle time of 1.57 seconds per part. This step is essential for customers with stringent cleanliness requirements.

Testing Lake Forest capabilities

Dynacast Lake Forest delivers precision die casting services to a variety of industries, each with unique requirements and design needs. It is known for adapting its processes and creating new designs to manufacture even the most complex parts. For example, a high-end golf club manufacturer wanted to create an innovative putter. The Dynacast Lake Forest engineering team assisted with the part design and created the putter head components using Multi-Slide ZA-8 and cold chamber ZA-27, which provided the ideal densities required for the final product. Lake Forest was the only die caster in North America able to cast both Multi-Slide ZA-8 and cold chamber ZA-27. In addition to material selection, the customer valued Lake Forest's proximity to its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, which enabled seamless collaboration between the engineering teams to refine part geometry for mass production in real time. The customer's contract manufacturer and plater were both located within a 100-mile radius of the plant, helping to reduce costs.

Another Dynacast Lake Forest customer required a highly cosmetic polished part. The well-known electric car company wanted to provide a distinctive driver experience—a polished metal handle. The mirror-like cosmetic finish is not easy to achieve, but through its network of certified polishing and plating vendors, Dynacast Lake Forest was able to provide the required quality service and high volumes within a short distance of the Lake Forest plant.

Full-service die casting manufacturer

With a dynamic local and international customer base, Dynacast Lake Forest continues to improve its facility and manufacturing processes to provide the best service and part design for any industry. Its success over the years can be attributed to its experienced management team, which continues to provide valuable resources and programme management, as well as its dedicated engineering team, which provides innovative and cost-effective tool and part designs. With the addition of the Tijuana plant and the Tesla power system, Dynacast Lake Forest has demonstrated its commitment to creating an unmatched die casting business that will be more competitive than ever in the coming years.