Die casting for the automotive industry

3, 4, V6 and V8-cylinder engine block

To produce the 'right' castings, manufacturers look for flexible die casting solutions that suit their configuration set-ups and meet their quality and volume output requirements. Light alloy engine blocks can be manufactured in many ways: 

• with machines from 2150 to 4000 tonnes,
• from rough castings to the finished engine block,
• from 9 to 52 kg of cast weight,
• with a single die casting machine or the automated integrated solution.

Our die casting machines and automated cells solutions are designed and manufactured specifically for the engine block application and can include: lubrication with dedicated head, a single robot or two robots, deburring die or saw for the automatic removal of the sprue, loading and handling of inserts (cold or pre heated) secondary or ancillary processing (heat treatment, sanding, deburring), and expertise with die makers to optimise the cycle time and die design.

• Cylinder heads
• Gearbox
• Oil sump
• Clutch housing
• Steering box
• Turbocharger body
• Engine support
• Intake manifolds
• Steering knuckle
• Suspension arm
• Front and rear
• Brake calipers
• Master cylinder

In recent years we have consolidated our experience in the field of the "structural" castings, reconciling new technological requirements such as:

• High speed shot phase
• Flexibility and combination variations for closing end and shot end
• High machine rigidity
• Vacuum technology

The requirements for castings with new characteristics are:

• Bodywork and safety components
• Magnesium or aluminium alloys
• Complex geometry
• With minimum thickness and wide casting area
• With the option of thermal treatment
• High integrity

Magnesium die casting has significant advantages, primarily the specific weight of only 1.8 g/cm3 (a reduction of 33% compared to 2.7 g/cm3 aluminium). Once limited to electronic components and portable tools, today magnesium is widely used in the automotive industry with the ability to produce complex castings (and that are therefore also structural and safe), which reduce the weight of the vehicle and thus their fuel consumption.

The 2 separate circuit Italpresse shot end, one for the 1° and 2° phase, and one for the 3°, maintains total constancy and repeatability at different shot stages to ensure quality castings, as well as reaching very high speeds, at around 8 meters per second with the metal. In magnesium die casting the alloy has higher flow characteristics and the castings are often very thin walls: the higher shot rate is therefore a key factor in the whole process.

In some cases, the machines are equipped with a double magnesium and aluminium furnace, to allow for differentiated production and total flexibility.