Companies require a large number of components which they use for manufacturing different products, especially machines and vehicles. In some cases the company is manufacturing the components in house. Large companies will often outsource the manufacturing of these components to their vendors. The cost of the component will depend to some extent on the material, manufacturing process and machine used. For small zinc or magnesium cast components, a multi slide die casting machine is the preferred option due to the design and other advantages which are discussed in detail below.
Machine design
Most of the die casting machines are designed for manufacturing larger die cast components. These machines have a tool with one fixed part and one moving part. In contrast the multi-slide machine has multiple slides and is mainly used for manufacturing smaller zinc components. The most popular model of this machine has four independent slides which are perpendicular to each other. The components produced are intricate and very precise. In some cases, the machine can be used for up to six slides, and for this machine the angle of the slides will not be ninety degrees.
Slide design
Each slide will have a die block, cover plate and cross-head. The face of the die block will have one or more mold cavity and/or core, in the shape of the component which has to be manufactured. This design allows the molten zinc or other metal used for manufacturing the component to be injected directly into the mold. Doing so will also ensure that no metal is wasted during manufacturing, reducing the scrap, and improving metal utilization. This will also reduce the time required for manufacturing each component, greatly improving productivity and profits. Though the exact numbers will vary depending on the component size, typically a machine can deliver 4500 shots per hour, or more than 10000 components.
Controller
For greater flexibility in producing components, and to increase productivity, the multi-slide machine has a controller using the latest microprocessor and other electronics. The controller will allow the machine operator to control each of the slides in the machine independently based on which component is being manufactured. Each slide can be controlled during the opening of the slide to remove the part , inject the molten metal or while closing the slide.
Benefits
One of the main reasons why businesses are preferring to purchase multi-slide machines for die casting is because the extremely precise components are being manufactured. Typically if there is even a slight variation in the dimensions of the component, the component cannot be used elsewhere and may have to be reworked or discarded. Reworking the component is expensive and leads to the wastage of metal, while discarded components are a waste of resources though they may be recycled. The components are of high quality and this process ensures that they are of consistently the same quality. The tooling costs for this machine are also lower. The manufacturing cycle speed is higher if these machines are used, so the labor required is less. The manufacturer will also save material and energy.