Hot Sprue Technology Offers Big Gains In Reducing Thixomolding Costs
By John Gaspervich, V.P. PCC/AFT ThixoForming®
AFT's ThixoForming®
has been using hot sprue technology in its Thixomolding production programs for a couple of years with very successful results. Among them are impressive gains in both productivity and material reduction, leading to a 30 percent savings in production costs for one part of the Thixomolding magnesium part process.
The sprue is used in the Thixomolding process as the entry point for the molten material into the die cavity, where it feeds the runners to the parts. Conventional sprues are cone shaped and typically large as well as somewhat heavy (around 100 grams), depending on the overall shot size. The sprue is discarded with the rest of the runner after trimming—and the cost of this waste is contained in the part price. A further disadvantage of conventional sprues is that they generally take longer to cool after the material is injected, affecting molding cycle times.
Hot sprue technology replaces conventional sprue brushing, allowing hot metal to be injected directly on the parting line of the mold. This eliminates all the mass of the sprue, which in turn minimizes material waste. The result—lower part costs.
An additional advantage of the hot sprue process is the time reduction in molding cycle. Cooling time is no longer limited by the thick cross-section of the sprue, thus cutting a large portion of time from the production process. In a nutshell, higher throughput in molding translates into additional cost savings.
Clients seeking to lower their production costs—especially in light of the recent price increases affecting magnesium—can benefit greatly from hot sprue technology's cost-effectiveness. The hot sprue allows AFT ThixoForming to be the low-cost leader in the production of Thixomolded magnesium components.
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