How to design special shaped low-pressure casting molds to meet the high-precision requirements of automotive chassis components?

1、 Clear design requirements: meticulous consideration
Before designing low-pressure casting molds with special shapes, a deep understanding and requirement analysis of automotive chassis components are essential. This includes the requirements for dimensional accuracy of components, such as tolerance range and flatness of mating surfaces; Shape complexity, such as the presence of deep cavities, thin walls, or irregular surfaces; Material properties, such as flowability and solidification shrinkage of aluminum alloys; And the specific requirements of the working environment for the strength and durability of components. Actual factors such as production batch size, cost budget, and delivery time also need to be considered. These requirements will serve as the starting point for mold design, guiding subsequent steps such as mold structure, material selection, and process parameter setting, ensuring that mold design meets both technical requirements and economic principles.

2、 Choosing the appropriate low-pressure casting process: the combination of technology and art
Low pressure casting technology has become an ideal choice for manufacturing high-precision automotive chassis components due to its unique advantages. When selecting the process, it is necessary to carefully analyze the geometric characteristics, material properties, and production requirements of the components to determine the optimal key parameters such as pouring temperature, pressure curve, pressurization rate, and holding time. For components with complex inner cavities and thin-walled structures, lower pouring temperatures and higher pressures are required to promote smooth filling of aluminum liquid and reduce gas entrapment. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the preheating temperature of the mold, the selection of the mold coating, and their impact on the surface quality of the casting, in order to further optimize the casting process, ensure stable casting size, dense microstructure, and excellent performance.

3、 Mold structure design: embodiment of precision and innovation
Mold structure design is the key to ensuring the quality of castings. For special shaped automotive chassis components, the design of the parting surface should take into account the integrity of the casting and the ease of mold operation, avoiding defects such as burrs and burrs. The design of the pouring system needs to consider the flow path, filling speed, and temperature distribution of the aluminum liquid, ensuring that the aluminum liquid can uniformly and quickly fill the mold cavity, while reducing eddy currents and turbulence, and avoiding the entrapment of gases and inclusions. The design of the cooling system should be based on the solidification characteristics of the castings, with reasonable arrangement of cooling water channels, control of cooling rate and temperature gradient, in order to achieve sequential solidification of the castings and reduce internal defects such as shrinkage and porosity. In addition, the exhaust system of the mold also needs to be carefully designed to ensure smooth gas discharge and avoid the formation of pores and subcutaneous pores.

4、 Material selection and heat treatment: dual guarantee of durability and performance
The selection of mold materials is directly related to the service life of the mold and the quality of the castings. For high-precision automotive chassis components, mold materials need to have high hardness, strength, wear resistance, and high thermal stability. Common mold materials include 3Cr2W8V alloy steel, H13 hot work mold steel, etc. When selecting materials, factors such as processing performance, welding performance, and heat treatment deformation should also be considered. Heat treatment is an important means to improve the performance of molds. Through processes such as quenching and tempering, the hardness and wear resistance of molds can be improved, thermal fatigue and plastic deformation can be reduced, and the service life of molds can be extended. At the same time, it is necessary to strictly control parameters such as heating temperature, insulation time, and cooling rate during the heat treatment process to avoid defects such as cracks and deformations.

5、 Manufacturing and Debugging: Dual Pursuit of Accuracy and Efficiency
The manufacturing process of Structural Parts Casting Mold requires strict control over machining accuracy and surface quality. The use of advanced CNC machining equipment and precision measuring tools, such as five axis machining centers and coordinate measuring instruments, can ensure that the dimensions and shapes of each part of the mold meet the design requirements. During the mold manufacturing process, multiple inspections and corrections are required to ensure the accuracy and stability of the mold. Mold debugging is a key step in testing the performance and production capacity of molds. During the debugging process, attention should be paid to the quality of the castings, the wear of the molds, and the stability of the production process. By adjusting the clearance of the mold, modifying the pouring system and cooling system, optimizing process parameters, and other measures, the performance of the mold can be gradually optimized, and the quality and production efficiency of the castings can be improved.