OPTIMIZATION OF RUNNER DESIGN IN HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING (HPDC) DIE

Abstract

 In order to produce high quality parts with high pressure die casting, computer aided simulation has been used to optimize mold designs. Finite difference (differential), finite volume and finite element methods have been used in the filling process simulation and significant progress has been made for general problems. Further work on mold design optimizations is still desired to address specific issues. In die casting, the die often has more than one cavity with multiple cavities producing the same or different parts. Multiple cavities require the application of branch runners connecting to a main runner. The design of the runner system has always been a topic for die casting, since it is important for the designer to ensure that multiple cavities start filling at the same time and have the same fill time. A key factor in the design is to adjust the cross section area of each branch runner according to the cavities’ volumes; however, this may not be enough to fill the cavities simultaneously. The angle between the branch runner and the main runner has been observed to have effects on the filling pressure, filling time and residual stresses, but the observations were limited to very simple lab level die design rather than practical castings.