Aluminum Die Casting Metals

Aluminum Alloy Characteristics:

• High operating temperatures
• Outstanding corrosion resistance
• Lightweight
• Very good strength and hardness
• Good stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio
• Excellent EMI and RFI shielding properties
• Excellent thermal conductivity
• High electrical conductivity
• Good finishing characteristics
• Full recyclability

Aluminum’s strength, corrosion resistance, and heat dissipating properties offer mechanical designers significant advantages. And our proprietary Thin Wall Aluminum Technology has made aluminum die casting an option for even more applications.

Interested in learning more about the die casting process? Check out our other die casting resources here.

Hot Chamber Aluminum Die Casting

Advantages of Aluminum Die Casting

One of the most significant benefits of aluminum die casting is that it creates lighter parts—with more surface finishing options than other die cast alloys. Aluminum can also withstand the highest operating temperatures of all the die cast alloys. Moreover, cast aluminum is versatile, corrosion resistant; it retains high dimensional stability with thin walls and can be used in almost any industry.

Read more about thin-wall aluminum die casting.

Aluminum Die Casting Applications: 

• Aluminum castings improve automotive fuel efficiency by contributing to weight saving requirements
• Aluminum is used in a broad range of networking and infrastructure equipment in the telecom and computing industries because RF filter boxes and housings require heat dissipation
• In handheld devices, aluminum castings provide EMI/RFI shielding, rigidity, and durability with minimal weight
• Because of aluminum’s excellent electrical performance and shielding properties, even in high-temperature environments, die cast aluminum is ideal for electronic connectors and housings

Recycling Aluminum Die Castings

Did you know that over 95 percent of aluminum castings made in North America are made of post-consumer recycled aluminum?

There is very little functional difference between primary (extracted or pure) and secondary (recycled) aluminum when it refers to die casting. Secondary aluminum alloys are derived from mixing and melting pure aluminum with other materials such as magnesium, iron, and copper. The use of pure aluminum in casting is quite rare due to the cost of extraction. The ease of use in die casting combined with lighter weight and durability make aluminum alloys a top choice for designers from nearly any industry. 

Secondary aluminum is more economical to produce than primary aluminum because it only requires 5 percent as much energy to produce. Most of the energy consumption in aluminum die casting is used to heat and re-melt the metal during fabrication. For this reason, Dynacast is able to save more time, energy, and money by re-melting in-house.

Aluminum Alloys That Dynacast Offers

• Aluminum Alloy A380

  A380 is one of the most commonly specified aluminum alloys with a number of significant benefits

• Aluminum Alloy 383 (ADC12)

  If your component is highly intricate, 383—also known as ADC12 in Asia—is often used as an alternative to A380. 

• B390

  B390 is an aluminum alloy with high hardness and good wear resistance. 

• A413

  A413 is an aluminum alloy with excellent pressure tightness. 

• 413

  413 is an Aluminum based alloy that is used for die casting parts. 

• K-Alloy

  K-Alloy is an aluminum, cold-chamber die cast alloy that was engineered to protect components against harsh operating environments. 

• A360

  A360 is an aluminum alloy with excellent pressure tightness and fluidity.