Deco Products team of engineers understand the essential role of gates in zinc die casting. Gate location plays a crucial part in determining the quality and functionality of the final product.
How Important Is Gating?
In fact, gating is one of the most critical issues of trying to fill die cast parts. To look at different gating styles, Deco’s team of engineers will run simulations using finite element analysis software. By running simulations, it allows us to see the intricacies of gating designs for our customers.
Dedicated to discovering the best gating solutions for our customers, our engineering team uses this mold flow analysis software to optimize the mold design.
Gate Styles in Zinc Casting
At Deco we use a number of styles of gates, chisel gates, tangential gate, fan gates and Australian gating systems. The different styles of gate that helps to deliver the flow to the casting the way we want the zinc to flow into it.
In addition to gate style and location, another strategic location is where we put the overflows. The purpose of an overflow is to draw any air entrapment and air entrainment out of the casting. Without a doubt overflow location is vital. To be the most effective with overflow location, our software helps us determine overflow locations.
Running Simulations for The Best Possible Casting
When designing a casting in zinc, running a simulation provides different snapshots of the fill process. It provides a “visualization” of the flow as it enters the mold to see how the part cavity fill and potential problems with turbulence or other concerns.
Design engineers will reference a color scale to visually show where different defects will occur. Such defects may be porosity or surface inconsistencies such as blistering. Simulations provide a statistical prediction of such problems and their location so that they can be reviewed and optimized for improvement.
Overflows
When designing a part for our customers, as mentioned above, we examined different gate styles, this is where the material flows into the mold. Deco’s engineering team also examines the overflow locations. The overflow locations are where the material exits the part and create extra material features that are removed later. The overflow locations are important to gather any air that is in the mold cavity so that it is removed from the usable part. The location and shape are important to optimize, and these be further reviewed during the mold flow analysis
Locations of Gates in Zinc Die Casting
When we are dealing with zinc die castings, we need to put a gate at the parting line on the part.
For instance, this is different than plastics, they have what they call tunnel gates. The gate itself could be right in the middle of a solid wall on the die steel. The tool ejects the part from the mold and shears off the gate. Leaving a nice clean gate removal system, with little gate vestige.
With zinc, we are unable to do that, the gate must be at the parting line.
Gate location is vital. What we try to do is fill the part from the center of the part and flow outward.
Porosity is a feature in the part, we are trying to reduce porosity as much as possible. Porosity will occur, and we need to try to minimize that porosity as much as possible.
We do so with the gate location and overflows. Draw the porosity and everything out into the overflows and get as much out of the casting as possible.
In Conclusion
Understanding gate design and its role in zinc die casting is essential to high-quality and functional end products. Please come back next week, as we continue our mini-series on gates in zinc die casting. We will get into gate size considerations, cost-effectiveness, and explore the award-winning design that sets Deco Products apart in the zinc die casting industry.
Our Design Team's Expertise
Michele Duwe
Michele Duwe is the Sales and Marketing Manager with Deco Products. She has eight plus years as a digital marketing manager and a decade of sales and marketing experience.
