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Case Overview
This case involves an automotive cylinder head, a small aluminum alloy die-cast component supplied to the overseas automotive parts market.
The product requires high dimensional precision, with all dimensional tolerances directly ensured by the die casting mold without any subsequent machining. To meet the customer’s high-volume production requirements, this project adopted a 24-cavity precision mold design, increasing the output per die casting cycle and reducing processing steps to achieve high-efficiency, low-cost mass production.
The product is die-cast from ADC12 aluminum alloy and requires no additional surface treatment.
Part Information
| Item | Parametro |
| Part Name | Automotive Cylinder Head |
| Application Industry | Overseas Automotive Parts |
| Material / Grade | ADC12 |
| Product Dimensions | 33 mm × 43 mm × 15 mm |
| Product Weight | 20 g |
| Manufacturing Process Combination | Pressofusione |
| Surface Treatment Process | No Surface Treatment Required |
| Quality Inspection Method | ZEISS CMM Measurement |
Project Difficulties and Technical Challenges
Core Challenge 1: High Dimensional Accuracy Requirements, with All Tolerances Ensured by the Mold
The automotive cylinder head adopts a machining-free process and is used directly as a finished product after die casting.
Compared with conventional die-cast components, this process eliminates subsequent machining for dimensional correction. Therefore:
- Product dimensional accuracy depends entirely on mold cavity accuracy;
- Aluminum alloy shrinkage variations need to be compensated for in advance;
- Mold wear directly affects product dimensional stability;
- Any local dimensional deviation cannot be corrected through machining.
Therefore, this project places higher requirements on mold manufacturing accuracy, cavity consistency, and die casting process stability.
Core Challenge 2: Multi-Cavity Consistency Control Under High-Volume Production Requirements
Due to the extremely high annual demand for the product, the customer requires higher production efficiency to reduce the manufacturing cost per part.
This project adopts a 24-cavity mold design, but multi-cavity production also introduces new challenges:
- All 24 cavities need to maintain dimensional consistency;
- Molten aluminum filling times across all cavities need to be synchronized as closely as possible;
- Dimensional variations between different cavities must be avoided;
- Mold wear during long-term production needs to be controlled.
Therefore, while achieving high-efficiency production, it is also necessary to ensure that every cavity continuously and consistently produces qualified parts.
Core Challenge 3: Cost Control Requirements in High-Volume Production
The automotive cylinder head is a high-volume automotive part, and the customer has high requirements for both unit manufacturing cost and production efficiency.
Traditional processes typically require additional machining after die casting, which not only increases equipment investment, labor costs, and processing cycles, but also results in material loss.
Therefore, this project needs to reduce overall production costs by optimizing the manufacturing process while meeting dimensional accuracy requirements.
Solution: Precision Mold Machining + Copper Electrodes
To meet the machining-free, high-precision, and high-volume production requirements of the automotive cylinder head, this project adopted precision mold machining combined with copper electrode machining technology to improve mold cavity accuracy and multi-cavity consistency.
Precision Mold Machining
Since the final product dimensions are directly determined by the mold, the following aspects are strictly controlled during mold manufacturing:
- Mold cavity dimensional accuracy;
- Consistency among multiple cavities;
- Long-term mold production stability.
Through high-precision mold manufacturing equipment combined with optimization based on mold trial data, the dimensions of the die-cast products are ensured to meet the required specifications.
Copper Electrode Machining of Mold Cavities
For complex structural areas within the mold, copper electrodes are used for EDM machining.
Copper electrodes offer:
- Stable electrical discharge;
- High machining accuracy;
- Good surface quality;
- Suitability for machining complex and fine structures.
Through precision electrode machining, cavity detail dimensions are ensured, improving product forming accuracy.
24-Cavity Mold Design Optimization
To meet high-volume production requirements, the 24-cavity mold was optimized through:
- Balancing the gating system to ensure consistent filling across all cavities;
- Optimizing venting design to reduce casting defects;
- Controlling mold temperature uniformity to improve dimensional stability;
- Reducing dimensional fluctuations through mass production process monitoring.
Case Summary
For this dimensionally precise automotive component with extremely high annual demand, the project adopted a process solution combining precision mold forming (machining-free) + a high-efficiency 24-cavity mold, achieving high-quality, high-efficiency, and low-cost production.
Technical Challenge | Solution | Result |
Precise product dimensions that cannot be corrected through machining | Precision mold machining + copper electrode machining of mold cavities | Ensured that the product meets dimensional requirements directly after forming |
Extremely high annual demand requiring high-efficiency production | 24-cavity multi-cavity mold design | Increased output per die casting cycle and reduced unit cost |
Multi-cavity production may cause dimensional differences | Optimized gating system and mold accuracy control | Ensured consistency across products from all 24 cavities |
Need to reduce processing steps | Adopted a machining-free die casting process | Reduced equipment investment and processing costs |
Dimensional stability verification | ZEISS CMM inspection | Achieved data-based control of critical dimensions |
