<p>In an industry driven by rapid innovation, our engineers excel at meeting critical time-to-market needs with consumer electronics die casting solutions.</p>

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Our minimal draft design capability allows for intricate internal features to be cast directly, eliminating costly secondary operations, and improving accuracy.

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<p>High pressure die casting is a fast, repeatable process that delivers quality metal components, every time—but only if your component is designed properly. There are many factors that go into a successful design for high-volume manufacturing and our team of engineers helps thousands of customers each year successfully launch new projects.</p><h1>What is Injected Metal Assembly?</h1><p><em>There are many different methods of joining metal and other materials, and depending on your industry, there certain considerations that determine the most effective method of assembly. If you’re currently crimping, soldering, staking, or welding components together, injected metal assembly (IMA) could be a more efficient and reliable option for you.</em><br />What is injected metal assembly?</p><p>The IMA process is a type of Insert Molding that uses a molten zinc alloy to join similar or dissimilar components together and create a singular assembled part that is strong, flash-free, and repeatable. With production rates up to 1,000 parts an hour, IMA adhesion ensures consistent higher quality parts while keeping manufacturing costs low.</p><p><strong>The uneven heating and cooling of the welding process produces brittle joints that are vulnerable to stress. As a result, their fatigue strength is far less than that of components joined by IMA.</strong></p><h3>How does IMA work?</h3><p>First, the components that need to be assembled are placed into the machine in a custom designed casting tool. These custom tools are able to accommodate components of various shapes, sizes, and materials.</p><p>Next, the tool closes and precisely aligns to holds the components in their precise position while the molten alloy is injected into the cavity at the intersection of the components. The alloy—usually zinc for its high strength, dimensional stability, and load-bearing characteristics—solidifies in a fraction of a second and produces a strong, permanent lock between the components. Finally, the tool opens and the assembled part is ejected from the die. The ejected component is flash-free, requires no secondary operations, and is stronger than conventionally joined metal components.</p><p><em>When the zinc alloy is injected, it fills the cavities in the custom tool and hardens to create a permanent bond between the components.</em></p><p>In addition to being high in strength and stability, zinc alloys are predictable in their flow and shrinkage characteristics, enabling our designers to calculate with high accuracy the final dimension of the injected metal joint. This allows for exacting tight tolerances to improve the overall functionality of the part.</p><h3>What is the required volume for the IMA process to be viable?</h3><p>Dynacast is capable of running varied volumes, down to 5,000 pieces a year if need be and up to 3 to 4 million parts per year with the help of automation and robotics. The volume of production is largely dependent upon the needs of the customer.</p><h3>When joining metal and a material like plastic, how do you keep the plastic from melting when it comes in contact with the injected molten metal?</h3><p>With IMA, we are able to hold the die closed for up to a whole second, depending on the fragility of the plastic, and allow the heat to dissipate in the water-cooled tool. In addition to this cooling process, the low melting point of injected metal prevents thermal degradation of the parent materials.</p><h3>Can you prototype an IMA part?</h3><p>Yes. While we cannot create a complete part before production begins, Dynacast can build simple “soft tooling” and create part-specific cavity blocks to insert into the tooling for a low production concept. Dynacast also offers a pull-ahead system where we build the tool to a certain point, and if parts produced are accepted by the customer, we complete the tool.</p><h3>How does IMA reduce cost?</h3><p>IMA reduces cost by cutting production time and eliminating the need for secondary operations. While processes like welding, soldering, and crimping are often very labor intensive, IMA has the potential to be fully automated. When part is ejected, flash-free and permanently bonded, it is ready for use.</p><h3>What are major markets served by the IMA process?</h3><p>The IMA process serves virtually any industry and any application. Automotive, telecommunications, electronic components, hardware and appliances, industrial controls, and military industries often utilize parts crafted by the IMA process.</p><p><strong>Would you like to learn more about the IMA process and practical applications? Fill out the form to download our free webinar!</strong></p>

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Discover Dynacast's IMA process—a cost-effective method using molten zinc to join components, enhancing strength and reducing assembly steps.

What Is Injected Metal Assembly? | Dynacast Article

Injected Metal Assembly (IMA) is a high-efficiency manufacturing process that uses molten zinc alloy to permanently join metal components with precision, creating strong, flash-free parts with reduced production costs and enhanced reliability compared to traditional methods like welding and soldering.

What is Injected Metal Assembly?

<p>When it’s time to choose materials for your die cast component design, how will you decide which metal to use?</p><p>Before you go too far in your design, it helps to learn a bit about each of the options readily available for manufacture. Download our on-demand seminar to learn from our metals expert about <strong>Die Cast Material Options </strong>to give you a top-level view of the choices you’ll need to make, including a full list of alloys and our free interactive process and metal selector.</p><p>Fill out the form to access our free webinar! </p>

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Understand die casting materials and learn how to select the best option for your application needs.

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Learn about various die casting material options and get expert insights to help you choose the right metal for your component design in this on-demand seminar. 

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<h2>What do you need out of your prototype?</h2><p>These days, consumers demand perfection from their products. And to achieve this level of performance, manufacturers have to put their products through rigorous testing to ensure optimal functionality. In many cases, tests happen in several iterations and call for different levels of functionality throughout. And each of these tests require an effective prototype.</p><p>Do you need to verify the strength of your component? Does your product require exact tolerances and you need to check the fit of the part? Do you need to revise the wall thickness in sections of the part need to be revised for weight or fit?</p><p>The die casting process is not typically well-suited for low-volume prototyping. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t deliver during the prototyping process. We’ve compiled a breakdown of the top three prototyping processes that our customers use to test their die casting components. </p><h2>Spin casting</h2><p>Spin casting is a process that forces metal into a rubber mold using centrifugal force. While in the past spin casters were limited to only materials specially formulated for low melting points, over time, the process has evolved to produce components with materials similar to die casting. Even if a spin caster cannot use the exact same material as a die caster, through secondary heating operations, the spin cast part can meet the strength of a die cast component with its exact geometries. The more complex the part, the more beneficial the spin casting process.</p><p>Prototyping with spin casting is ideal for low-volume projects with complex geometries that require a fast turnaround. Spin cast parts are able to hold virtually the same geometries as die casting at similar strengths, so its ideally suited for testing the fit of a component during the prototyping process. Spin cast parts have a lead time of roughly 1-3 weeks.</p><h2>Machine from bar stock</h2><p>Machining from bar stock is a process that guarantees speed and cost efficiency at low volume. The process itself is fairly simple, a purified metal billet is cut down to part size and shape with a lathe or CNC machine. At a low volume, the process is faster and cheaper than other manufacturing processes because the material is readily available and a tool doesn’t have to be designed or built. The drawback to machining from bar stock is that the part has low ductility and tolerances are limited to the radius of the mill—in other words, the tolerance and geometries cannot be tighter than the curvature of the actual cutting mechanism.</p><p>If your prototype needs to pass stringent elongation and tolerance tests, machining from bar stock is not an effective option. However, the process is a good prototyping option for projects operating on a strict budget and time table. Lead times for machining from bar stock are as short as 1 week.</p><p>Machining from bar stock is also an effective measure of ultimate strength of die cast components. Generally speaking, parts that are machined from bar stock are about 15% weaker than die cast components in terms of ultimate and yield strength, since machined parts don’t have the “skin” of a die cast component. However, our customers have often used machined prototypes to test the ultimate strength of their component. If the machined prototype passes a stress test, then the die cast component will withstand even greater stress. And if your component will be cast in aluminum in mass production, machining from a zinc and aluminum blend alloy can match the strength of an aluminum die cast component.</p><p>Want to know how to match a machined alloy to the strength of a die cast component? Contact one of our engineers to learn about machining prototyping possibilities.</p><h2>Investment casting</h2><p>For projects that require exact replica prototypes, we suggest investment casting. Since so much can be learned from a prototype’s function, the need for a quality prototype is critical. And when designing metal components, an exact replica of your final part is the best prototype you can get. Investment casting enables design engineers to walk away with a prototype that holds the exact geometry, tolerance, strength, and function of the final die cast component. This is especially important for aluminum die castings in applications that go through rigorous safety tests.</p><p>The investment casting process as a whole is well-suited for low-volume metal components. But the process can be slightly modified to accommodate prototyping needs at a fraction of the time. Instead of building a hard tool, investment casting engineers can 3D print wax patterns to form part geometries to reduce lead time and cost. Then, the part can be cast normally using any investment casting metals. The resulting prototype is an exact replica of what will be the final die cast part, so any secondary operation that the customer requires can be applied to the part, including assembly, heat treating, welding, plating, and painting.</p><p>3D printed wax pattern and prototype produced in-house with our sister company, Signicast.</p><p>As with any manufacturing process, the price of a prototype will increase as the dimensional tolerance and inspection criteria become more stringent. Early involvement and input by technical engineers during the design stage empowers customers to overcome traditional casting tolerance issues associated with prototyping. This is accomplished by innovation and industry-leading technology to provide 100% conformance to specifications as-cast, delivered on time, at the lowest total cost. Prototype lead times with investment casting vary depending on part complexity, but generally take between 5 days and 4 weeks.</p><p><em>Not ready for an exact replica just yet? Work with Signicast to create an SLA, or stereolithography resin pattern of your part.</em></p><h2>Which prototyping process is right for me?</h2><p>The best prototyping process for your die cast component depends on many factors. You have to take into consideration your budgetary restrictions, material restrictions, the time table for testing, and the rigor of tests your prototype will be put through. If you’re still unsure which process is right for you, get in touch with one of our Dynacast engineers. We can manage your prototyping needs and ensure that your project has a strong foundation to transition into mass production in die casting.</p>

Discover the top 3 prototyping methods for die casting, helping to optimize part designs, reduce costs, and ensure accuracy before full-scale production.

Top 3 Prototyping Methods for Die Casting

Choosing the right prototyping method for die casting—whether spin casting for complex parts, machining from bar stock for cost efficiency, or investment casting for exact replicas—depends on factors like budget, material requirements.

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