3D Printing Isn’t the Death of Die Casting

EDITOR'S NOTE: The inaugural CAASE19 virtual conference was held on Oct. 8. If you missed the live event, the keynote and individual conference sessions are still available on-demand via our registration page. 

With many automotive and aerospace manufacturers turning to additive manufacturing (AM) in their lightweighting projects, the die casting discipline begins to feel its glory days are fading. Some ask: will AM ultimately replace die casting? Others worry that it’s not a matter of “if,” but “when”—that the fate for die casting is sealed.

But Dr. Joshua Huang, the senior technical lead at Ryobi Die Casting, begs to differ. He foresees a future where the two technologies can coexist in a symbiotic fashion. With expertise in manufacturing process simulations with CFD and FEA, die casting manufacturing, and additive manufacturing, Huang is well-positioned to offer a balanced view of the two competing technologies.

Huang is also a member of NAFEMS Americas Steering Committee, a founding member of NAFEMS Manufacturing Process Simulation Working Group, and a member of the NADCA Computer Modeling Working Group.

As Huang sees it, AM and die casting are not foes. He envisions a workflow in which the two can work hand-in-hand as allies. In his upcoming presentation for CAASE19 on October 8, he plans to discuss:

• pros and cons of die casting manufacturing and additive manufacturing (AM);
• technical barriers of AM for mass production and potential solutions;
• estimating the per-part cost;
• how AM can help improve die casting manufacturing;
• cooling system design for die casting process based on AM technology.

CAASE19 is a virtual conference brought to you by DE magazine and NAFEMS, the International Association for the Engineering Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Community. You can register for the event here.