Aluminium & Zinc Die Casting for High-Volume Production
When your product moves into 1,000+ unit production and the geometry has thin walls, complex internal features or tight cosmetic requirements, die casting is the right process. At SkillsProto, we deliver aluminium (ADC12, A380, A383) and zinc (Zamak 3, Zamak 5) die cast parts for the UK and European automotive, electronics and industrial markets.
Die casting produces parts with near-net shape, high dimensional repeatability, and excellent surface for painting, anodising or plating — at a unit cost that drops sharply above the tooling break-even point.
When die casting is the right process
- You need 1,000 to 500,000+ parts per year in metal.
- Your geometry has thin walls, complex features or internal passages that machining struggles with.
- You want consistent cosmetic surface for painting, plating or anodising.
- You are replacing assembled sheet metal + weldments with a single cast component to reduce assembly cost.
- You need heat-dissipating aluminium parts (LED heatsinks, motor housings, electronics enclosures).
Die casting capabilities overview
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processes | Hot chamber (zinc), cold chamber (aluminium) |
| Alloys | Aluminium: ADC12 / A380 / A383 · Zinc: Zamak 3 / Zamak 5 · Magnesium AZ91D on request |
| Tooling | Steel dies, single or multi-cavity |
| Max part size | 600 × 600 × 300 mm typical |
| Wall thickness | 1.0 mm – 6 mm (aluminium), 0.8 mm – 4 mm (zinc) |
| Standard tolerance | ±0.1 mm on critical features (post-machining available for tighter) |
| Surface finish | As-cast, bead blasted, shot blasted, vibratory finished |
| Secondary machining | CNC post-machining on critical tolerances, holes, threads |
| Finishing options | Painting, powder coating, anodising, plating (Ni/Cr/Zn), polishing |
| Typical lead time | Tooling 4–6 weeks; first articles 2–3 weeks after T0 sample |
| Production MOQ | Typically 500+ parts |
Aluminium vs zinc die casting
| Property | Aluminium Die Casting | Zinc Die Casting |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.7 g/cm³ (light) | 6.6 g/cm³ (heavier) |
| Strength | Good strength-to-weight | Higher absolute strength, very ductile |
| Wall thickness | Min 1.0 mm | Min 0.8 mm (can go thinner) |
| Surface detail | Excellent | Excellent (slightly better for fine detail) |
| Corrosion resistance | Better (forms protective oxide) | Needs plating or coating for corrosion resistance |
| Cost per part (high volume) | Lower material cost | Lower machining cost, longer tool life |
| Typical uses | Motor housings, LED heatsinks, gearboxes | Connectors, locks, decorative hardware |
Our die casting process
- DFM review — wall thickness uniformity, draft, parting line, ejector pin placement, gating and overflow.
- Tool design — 3D tool design with simulation (flow, solidification, porosity prediction) on request.
- Sample tool (T0) — soft steel or aluminium trial tool for 50–500 sample parts to validate design before committing to production steel.
- Production tool — hardened steel die for volume production; 100,000+ shot life with maintenance.
- Casting — hot or cold chamber production, automated cycle.
- Trimming — die trim or manual de-gate.
- Secondary ops — CNC machining, tapping, drilling, deburring, vibratory finishing.
- Surface finishing — painting, anodising, plating, polishing.
- Inspection and shipping — FAI report, dimensional report, packed per your routing.
Finishing options for die cast parts
- Powder coating — durable colour finish; RAL / Pantone matching.
- Wet painting — high-gloss colour, primer + base + clear coat; metallic and candy colours.
- Anodising (aluminium only) — Type II colour anodise, Type III hard anodise for wear surfaces.
- Plating — electroless nickel, zinc plating, decorative chrome on copper-nickel underlayer.
- Polishing / brushed — buffed cosmetic aluminium or zinc surfaces.
- Pad printing / laser marking — logos, part numbers, scales, instructions.
- Vibratory finishing — deburring and edge-radius smoothing for cosmetic parts.
Industries served with die casting
- Automotive — gearbox housings, pedal assemblies, decorative chrome handles, motor mounts.
- Electronics — LED heatsinks, connector bodies, RF shields, motor housings.
- Industrial machinery — pump housings, valve bodies, gearbox covers, brackets.
- Consumer products — appliance housings, premium hardware, lighting fixtures.
- Telecoms — 5G antenna radomes, RF filter bodies, base station components.
Frequently Asked Questions (Die Casting)
Q1: What is the minimum order quantity for die casting? A: Typically 500+ parts for the unit economics to make sense. Below that, vacuum casting or CNC machining is a more cost-effective bridge to volume production.
Q2: How long does die casting tooling take? A: Production steel dies take 4–6 weeks for design, machining and sampling. We can shorten this with a sample (T0) aluminium tool for early design validation.
Q3: Can you hold tight tolerances on die cast parts? A: Casting tolerance is ±0.1 mm typical. For tighter tolerances on critical features, we add post-casting CNC machining (tapping, reaming, drilled holes) — included in your quote.
Q4: What is the difference between hot chamber and cold chamber die casting? A: Hot chamber is used for zinc (low melting point) — the injection mechanism sits in the molten metal bath, very fast cycles. Cold chamber is used for aluminium (higher melting point) — molten metal is ladled into the chamber for each shot.
Q5: Do you provide FAI and dimensional reports? A: Yes. Every first production batch includes an FAI report with dimensional layout and CMM measurements on request.
Q6: Can you handle surface finishing in-house? A: We manage finishing through audited partner facilities (anodising, plating, painting, powder coat) and include finishing in your single quote and lead time.
Request a die casting quote
Send your CAD, target annual volume, alloy preference and any cosmetic / tolerance requirements for a tooling + part quote.
[Request a Quote — Die Casting]