General Die Casting Design Data Sheet

General Die Casting Design Data Sheet

Having trouble deciding what casting process is most suitable for your needs? This guide will help you uncover the best casting or molding process for your application.

Note: The below information is meant to be a basic guideline for comparison purposes only. For more information or a competitive quote, please call 732-634-3000 or contact us now.

Download a printable PDF copy of this chart here.

 

Process Aluminum Die Casting Sand Casting V-Casting Investment Casting Graphite Permanent Mold Steel Die Permanent Mold Plaster Mold
Size Range Ounces to 50 lbs Ounces to Tons Up to 150 lbs Up to 250 lbs Up to 6 lbs Up to 100 lbs Ounces to 50 lbs
Tolerances

+/-.002″

to 1″

+/- 1/32″

to 6″

+/- .010″

to 1″

+/- .005″

to 1″

+/- .005″

to 1″

+/-.015″

to 1″

+/-.005″

to 2″

Tolerances inches/inch thereafter +/-.002″ +/- .003″ +/-.002″ +/-.005″ +/-.002″ +/-.002″ +/-.001″
Parting Line Shift

+/-.005″

up to 10 sqin

+/-.020″

to .060″

+/-.020″ N/A +/-.005″

+/-.010″

to .030″

+/-.010″
Min. Section Thickness (premium) .060″ .110″

.090″

.050″

.090″

.125″

.060″

Min. Section Thickness (average) .110″ .110″ .125″ .080″ .120″ .187″ .080″
Min. Draft Required 0.5 to 3 degrees 2 to 5 degrees Zero Zero 1 to 3 degrees 2 to 4 degrees 1 to 3 degrees
Surface Finish (RMS) 32 to 125 250 to 500 125 to 150 60 to 90 63 to 90 150 to 300 63 to 125
Average Tooling cost $5K to $120K, based on part design $1K to $5K $3K to $6K $2K to $9K $3K to $8K $5K to $20K $3K to $9K
Average Tooling Lead Time (in weeks) 6 to 14 2 to 6 2 to 4 6 to 8 2 to 4 8 to 20 2 to 6
Typical Order Quantity 5,000+ typical, minimum runs: 500 All All All All 500+ 1 to 250
Metals

Aluminum
360
380
413

Zinc
Zamac 3
Zamac 5
ZA-8
ZA-12
ZA-27

Magnesium

Most All Castable Alloys

Aluminum
319
356
535

All Castable Alloys

Aluminum
356
319
ZA-12
ZA-27

Aluminum
Bronze
Iron
Lead

Aluminum
Zinc
Magnesium
Brass