Knowledge hub
Aluminium die casting knowledge hub
Practical guides for engineers, students and buyers, from alloy and melt to die, shot, heat treatment, inspection and sourcing. Written by the people who run our melt shop, casting cells and quality lab.
GuidesGlossaryFree PDF charts
Free downloads
Charts for the shop floor and the design office
Aluminium alloy chart
Composition of 21 casting alloys across JIS, BS, ASTM and EN, with equivalents, processes and heat treatment. Two pages, A4.
Die casting defects chart
Fourteen defects with appearance, causes and remedies, for the shop floor or the quality office. One page, A4.
Company profile
Capabilities, quality, alloys, tolerances and how to start a project with Alcast. Eleven pages, A4.
Start here
Die casting glossary
61 terms defined in plain technical language. Open the glossary →
Before casting
Aluminium alloy guideGrades, compositions, equivalents, selectionRead →Alloy equivalents across standardsEN, ASTM, BS and JIS comparedRead →Melt treatment and degassingHydrogen, density index, flux, sludgeRead →Die casting design guideWalls, draft, ribs, machining stockRead →Die design and maintenanceSteels, gating, die lifeRead →Tooling costWhat drives die priceRead →
Casting
HPDC process parametersShot phases, speeds, pressures, temperaturesRead →HPDC vs gravity die castingChoosing the processRead →What is a T0 trial?Proving a new dieRead →Casting tolerancesISO 8062-3 DCTG and NADCARead →High pressure die castingMachines, envelope, alloysRead →Gravity die castingTilting and horizontal, to 25 kgRead →Gravity die casting parametersTemperatures, feeding, coatings, defectsRead →Die casting glossary61 terms in plain languageRead →
After casting
Heat treatment of aluminium castingsT5, T6, T7 and blisteringRead →Machining and assemblyFrom casting to complete unitRead →Machining and finishingCNC, cleaning, shot blasting, coatingRead →
Quality and sourcing
Die casting defects and remedies14 defects with causes and fixesRead →Porosity in aluminium castingsCauses and controlRead →PPAP for die castingsWhat a supplier submitsRead →RFQ checklistWhat to send for an accurate quoteRead →Sourcing die castings from IndiaFor UK and US buyersRead →CBAM for aluminium castingsCarbon reporting for EU and UK importsRead →
Have a part in mind?Send the drawing and annual volume. An engineer replies within 48 hours.
Request a quote →