Lightweight aluminum castings | Thin-walled design as thin as 1mm (local) from just one piece.
I want to lighten the parts, but I'm told that with castings, the thickness needs to be increased. For lightweighting, a thin wall of 1mm locally and 1.5mm overall is required, and prototypes can be made in as little as 2 weeks starting from one piece.
To lighten the equipment and vehicles, I want to reduce the thickness of the parts. However, when I consult with the foundry manufacturer, they tell me that they want it to be thicker because the molten metal won't flow properly. In the end, I have no choice but to make it thinner through machining, which increases costs. This is a concern I have from the design side. The difficulty in making the thickness of castings thinner is that the molten metal cools and solidifies before it can flow into the thinner areas. The greater the difference in thickness, the more likely the shrinkage will concentrate in the thicker parts, increasing the risk of defects. Karmo Casting has devised the arrangement of the pouring gate and the shape of the mold to accommodate local thicknesses as thin as 1mm and an overall thickness of 1.5mm. We confirm the flow of molten metal and solidification in advance through casting simulations, and since we design and manufacture the wooden molds in-house, we can consistently handle the review of shapes for thinning. Machining and inspections using three-dimensional measuring machines are also conducted in-house. The thinned areas are verified with a three-dimensional measuring machine and a non-contact three-dimensional digitizer, allowing us to confirm both lightness and dimensions numerically. We are offering a free collection of VA/VE case studies summarizing examples of weight reduction and cost reduction.
basic information
【Thin Material】Thinnest 1mm (local) / 1.5mm (overall) 【Casting Size】50mm square to 1,000mm square 【Minimum Order Quantity】From 1 piece 【Prototype Delivery Time】As short as 2 weeks 【Available Materials】 - Aluminum Alloys: AC2A / AC2B / AC3A / AC4A / AC4B / AC4C / AC4CH / AC4D / AC7A / AC8B - Copper Alloys: CAC403 / 406 / 502 / 301 / 302 / 303 / 702 / 703 【Casting Processes】In-house capabilities for five methods: sand casting / self-hardening / alkaline phenolic / cold box / die casting 【Machining Equipment】15 five-axis machining centers / 2 gantry machines / 3 vertical machines / 2 NC lathes 【Machining Accuracy】Geometric tolerance ±0.03mm 【Inspection Equipment】2 contact-type three-dimensional measuring machines / non-contact 3D digitizer (deviation 30-80μm) 【Certifications】ISO9001 (2012) / JIS Q 9100 (2015) / KEMS Step2 【Heat Treatment】T6 and others available 【Factory Tours】Possible even before contract signing
Price information
If you let us know the drawings and the areas you want to lighten, we will propose the range in which we can reduce thickness and provide a free estimate. If we can create parts that are thin at the casting stage instead of machining them down, we can reduce the amount of material removed and processing time.
Delivery Time
Model number/Brand name
AC4CH/AC4C/AC2A/AC7A/AC4A and other 10 aluminum alloys (thin-walled and lightweight)
Applications/Examples of results
【Industries Served】Aerospace / Automotive / CASE / Robotics / Railways / Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment / Electrical and Electronic Equipment 【Related Achievements】 ■ Aluminum processed products for aerospace (thin-walled, small parts with a thickness of 3mm / JIS Q 9100) ■ Aluminum castings for thin-walled piping (thinnest 2mm / from one piece) ■ Aluminum cast products for control equipment (tapping and groove processing in thin-walled structures) ■ Aluminum castings for industrial machinery (thin-walled, small radius, high precision shapes) 【Applications】 - Want to lighten parts of devices or vehicles - Told by a casting manufacturer to increase thickness - Making parts thinner through machining, leading to high costs - Want to reduce the weight of moving parts like robot arms - Want to make shapes with significant thickness differences thinner while minimizing defects 【Scale of Achievements】200 companies and 5,000 items in the last 5 years. Over 500 prototype and development achievements annually.
Related Videos
catalog（2）
Download All Catalogs
Recommended products
Distributors
At Karmo Casting Co., Ltd., we engage in aluminum processing, aluminum casting, and the casting of copper alloys other than aluminum. Manufacturing has continuously supported the backbone of Japanese industry. At Karmo Casting, we have maintained that spirit and pride, dedicating ourselves to pioneering initiatives in the industry since our founding. Our primary goal is to build partnerships with our customers. To achieve this, we believe it is essential to flexibly adapt to changes in the times and realize all kinds of needs. Our relentless pursuit of technical expertise, responsiveness, quality, and speed reflects this attitude. While sensitively and swiftly understanding our customers' thoughts, Karmo Casting will continue to accumulate tireless efforts and changes as a manufacturing company that is chosen and needed by our customers.