Die Casting Process Optimization using a Thermal-Structural Coupled Finite Element Analysis

In high pressure die casting (HPDC) a plastic deformation of the product usually happen due to the very reduced cooling time and to the high thermal gradient inside the product itself. This phenomenon affects most the thin walled products and the high productivity processes that are designed to have very short cycle time. In order to reduce the cooling generated plastic deformations an automatic iterative optimization method has been developed. The proposed approach uses a coupled thermal-structural finite element analysis, and is based on heuristics: the results from one simulation give input on how to proceed in the next iteration. An industrial case study is presented in order to prove the applicability and advantages of the proposed method.