Case Studies of Large Components Produced by High-Pressure Die Casting and Slurry-on-Demand Casting

High-pressure die casting is a highly productive process that yields near net-shape castings at a relatively low cost. One disadvantage of die casting, however, is residual porosity that is inherently present in the castings. Semi-solid die casting is a method that is superior to die casting as it relates to porosity but has historically been a more expensive process. This is due to the higher cost of the billet feed material and the inability to easily recycle billets and runners. Slurry-on-Demand is a new semi-solid casting process that develops the semi-solid slurry directly from the liquid, thereby eliminating the cost penalties intrinsic to the billet semi-solid process. This paper will describe the Slurry-on-Demand process in detail and present case studies comparing the casting of large components using both Slurry-on Demand and conventional high-pressure die casting. It will also provide examples of quality improvements achievable by the Slurry-on-Demand process.