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Heat Treatment of Die Casting Mold Parts
Heat treatment of die casting mold parts is essential part of an overall process of full heat treatment. Heat treatment of die casting mold parts is process of maintaining the integrity, safety and performance of die casting molds and parts. It consists of various steps including degassing, normalizing, tempering, aging and other steps depending on the individual application.
As alloys used in die casting process are subjected to heated temperatures and then, cooled, they gain certain mechanical properties — like hardness, ductility, and strength. In order to guarantee that the alloys will have the desirable characteristics and performance it is necessary to have an appropriate control of the heat treatment process.
The heat treat process consists of several components. One of the most general is annealing, which consists into heating the alloy to a temperature below the upper critical point and cooling it. This step helps to protect the metals from developing cracking and segregation, as well as softening the material and better refining its grain size. The annealing temperature depends on the type of alloy being used; from high temperatures for steels to low temperatures for copper.
After annealing, the next step is hardening, which is done by heating the alloy above the transformational temperature and then, cooling it quickly. This helps the alloy to retain its hardness, tough and strength, as well as its wear and fatigue resistance. The rate and way the material is cooled after hardening will depend on the material used — it can be air, water or oil cooling.
The last step of the heat treat process is tempering, which drastically reduces the hardness of the material to prevent them from cracking, while also making them less brittle. This is done by heating the alloy to an appropriate temperature and then, cooling it rapidly.
Apart from the main heat treat process, other heat treatments such as vacuum, carburizing or nitriding are also commonly used in order to enhance properties like corrosion resistance or toughness.
Overall, heat treatment of die casting mold parts is an essential part of the design process and necessary to ensure the performance of the final product. By controlling the parameters of the varoius heating and cooling steps, the desired characteristics of the alloys can be met, granting that the mold and parts produced will have adequate strength, wear and fatigue resistance which, in turn, will guarantee their performance and safety.
