Aluminum casting & mold design services

Introduction

To our valued Japanese manufacturing companies, especially those in management, procurement, and purchasing, we understand that you face daily challenges in improving product quality, reducing costs, and ensuring stable delivery times.
In achieving these goals, the management of “molds,“ which are indispensable in the production process of aluminum castings, such as die casting and gravity casting, holds extremely strategic significance. Molds are the foundation that determines product shape, dimensional accuracy, and surface quality, and their condition directly impacts production efficiency. However, despite their importance, mold maintenance is often overlooked. Insufficient maintenance leads to potential risks such as sudden production stoppages, increased defective products, delivery delays, and ultimately, enormous cost increases.
This article will delve into the necessity of shifting to “preventive maintenance“ and specific strategies to avoid these risks and ensure sustainable competitiveness.

Unique Deterioration Factors and Challenges of Aluminum Casting Molds

Aluminum casting molds are exposed to extremely harsh environments during their manufacturing process. In particular, “thermal fatigue, heat cracking,“ caused by the repeated injection of high-temperature molten aluminum is a major cause of mold deterioration. Heat cracking refers to the phenomenon where microscopic cracks appear on the mold surface due to repeated cycles of rapid heating upon contact with molten metal, followed by cooling. These cracks begin to appear after several thousand to tens of thousands of shots, and as they progress, they transfer as burrs or defects to the product, ultimately significantly shortening mold life.

In addition, the following major forms of damage can be listed:

• Erosion: A phenomenon where the mold surface is eroded by the flow of molten metal or chemical reactions. This is particularly noticeable in the gate and runner areas.
• Abrasion: A phenomenon where the mold surface is worn away by friction with movable parts inside the mold, ejector pins, slide cores, etc., or with metal powder generated during casting.
• Adhesion, Soldering,: A phenomenon where molten aluminum adheres to the mold surface and solidifies, damaging the mold surface. This causes poor product release and deterioration of surface quality.

These damages directly affect product quality. For example, heat cracks and erosion reduce product dimensional accuracy and worsen surface roughness. Also, adhesion increases product release resistance, leading to extended cycle times and increased defect rates. The cost of mold repair or replacement is by no means small. It is not uncommon for mold costs to account for 10% to 20% of product cost, and sudden repair or replacement costs can result in unexpected expenses of several million to tens of millions of yen annually. Some estimates suggest that a 20% improvement in mold life can lead to annual cost savings of several million to tens of millions of yen.

Introduction of Preventive Maintenance Strategy and Specific Measures

To address these challenges and achieve extended mold life and stable operation, the introduction of a preventive maintenance strategy is essential. Preventive maintenance is a maintenance method that prevents sudden troubles by systematically inspecting, repairing, and replacing parts before failures occur.

Specific measures include the following:

1. Standardization of Regular Inspections and Cleaning: Standardize daily, weekly, and monthly visual inspections, cleaning, and lubrication of molds, utilizing checklists. This can help detect initial damage and potentially reduce defect rates by 5% to 10%.
2. Planned Parts Replacement: Systematically replace consumable parts, ejector pins, slide cores, O-rings, etc., based on shot count and operating hours. For example, ejector pins typically show significant wear after 100,000 to 200,000 shots, so replacing them before this point prevents overall mold damage.
3. Utilization of Mold Surface Treatment: Applying surface treatment technologies such as PVD, Physical Vapor Deposition, and TD treatment, Thermal Diffusion Coating, can dramatically improve the mold surface’s hardness, heat resistance, and wear resistance. This can suppress the occurrence of heat cracks and erosion, and there are reported cases of mold life being extended by 2 to 5 times.
4. Optimization of Cooling Circuits and Temperature Management: Optimizing the cooling circuits inside the mold and uniformly and appropriately managing mold temperature is extremely important for suppressing thermal fatigue. Introducing the latest cooling technologies can shorten cycle times by 5% to 15% and improve productivity.
5. Choice of Appropriate Release Agents and Improvement of Application Methods: To ensure product release and prevent adhesion to the mold, it is crucial to choose an appropriate release agent and apply it uniformly and in optimal quantities. This suppresses the occurrence of adhesion and reduces damage to the mold.
6. Consideration of Maintainability from the Mold Design Stage: By considering ease of parts replacement, structural simplification, and ease of cleaning from the mold design stage, future maintenance costs and time can be significantly reduced. For example, modularized mold parts expedite replacement work.

Contribution to Cost Reduction and Quality/Delivery Stability

The introduction of a preventive maintenance strategy not only extends mold life but also brings significant benefits to overall business operations.

• Reduction of Production Stoppage Risk due to Sudden Mold Troubles: Preventive maintenance can reduce downtime due to sudden failures by an average of 20% to 40%. This minimizes disruptions to production plans and significantly reduces the risk of delivery delays.
• Suppression of Defect Rates and Improvement of Yield: By maintaining molds in good condition, product dimensional accuracy and surface quality stabilize, suppressing defect rates. Some estimates suggest that a 1% improvement in defect rate can lead to a 0.5% to 1% improvement in annual sales profit.
• Standardization of Mold Repair Costs and Optimization of Total Costs: Planned maintenance suppresses the occurrence of sudden high repair costs, potentially reducing sudden mold repair expenses by 30%. This simplifies budget management and optimizes annual total costs.
• Improved Customer Satisfaction and Strengthened Competitiveness through Stable Quality Product Supply: The ability to stably supply high-quality products is essential for gaining customer trust and building long-term business relationships. This directly leads to an increase in corporate brand value and strengthened competitiveness in the market.
• Extension of Equipment Investment Cycle through Extended Mold Asset Life: Extending mold life allows for the extension of the equipment investment cycle for new molds. This suppresses capital expenditure and improves cash flow.

Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam’s Mold Maintenance System

For Japanese manufacturers considering overseas procurement, we recognize that quality and delivery time are paramount concerns. Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam is committed to alleviating these concerns and supplying products with confidence by establishing an integrated system for mold manufacturing and maintenance within Vietnam. Based on Japanese technical guidance, our company deploys high-quality mold maintenance technology in Vietnam, providing strong support for our customers’ production activities.
Source: Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam Official Website – Mold Manufacturing and Maintenance

• In-house Mold Manufacturing and Maintenance System: At our company, most processes, from mold manufacturing to daily maintenance and large-scale repairs, are completed within our own factory. This eliminates time loss and quality variations associated with external outsourcing, allowing us to reduce mold repair time by an average of 20% and costs by 15%.
• High-Quality Maintenance Technology Based on Japanese Technical Guidance: We inherit the mold technology and know-how cultivated over many years in Japan to our Vietnamese technicians, conducting maintenance based on strict quality standards. Our system of regular inspections and repairs by skilled technicians consistently keeps molds in optimal condition.
• Introduction of Latest Equipment: We actively introduce state-of-the-art equipment such as laser welding machines, high-precision grinding machines, and 3D measuring instruments. This allows us to respond to a wide range of maintenance needs, from repairing microscopic damage to precision machining of complex mold parts.
• Transparent Maintenance Reports: We regularly provide customers with detailed maintenance reports outlining mold inspection results, repair details, replaced parts, and future maintenance plans. This enables customers to always grasp the mold’s condition and utilize it for their next production plan.

Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam is committed to providing reliable services as a partner that maximizes the utilization of your mold assets and supports stable production activities.

Conclusion

We hope you now understand that aluminum casting mold maintenance is not merely a repair task but a strategic investment that influences a company’s competitiveness. By thoroughly implementing preventive maintenance, you can reduce the risk of production stoppages due to sudden troubles, suppress defect rates, and achieve stable product supply with consistent quality and delivery times. This ultimately leads to significant cost reductions and improved customer satisfaction, forming the foundation for a company’s sustainable growth.

Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam has established a high-quality mold manufacturing and maintenance system in Vietnam based on Japanese technical guidance, and we are committed to maximizing the value of your mold assets. We are confident that our mold maintenance capabilities can contribute to your business in addressing concerns regarding quality, cost, and delivery in overseas procurement. We invite you to consider Daiwa Aluminum Vietnam’s services for improving your company’s productivity and reducing costs.