High Integrity Structural Aluminum Casting Process Selection

Proper alloy and process selection is critical to the commercial production and application of any high-integrity casting. These activities must be focused directly on critical part performance criteria. This paper presents examples of how a casting supplier, with a sound foundation in a broad range of the high-integrity casting techniques, can select and optimize critical criteria in the areas of product design, alloy design, casting process design and heat treatment to achieve a commercial manufacturing success which satisfies the casting customers' functional needs. Three case studies are described which show how proper process selection aided the casting customer in choosing the correct casting process.

• Case Study 1
  Optimization of a 357 semi-solid metal casting (SSMC) alloy with T-5 heat treatment for a swaging application.
• Case Study 2
  Optimization of a 365 alloy and T-5 heat treatment for Johnson Apparent Elastic Limit (JAEL).
• Case Study 3
  Optimization of a 365 alloy heat-treated die casting for impact resistance.