Sticking with the Basics
After Traveling for a couple days and discussing our new technology, it is easy to forget why it all works together. Because it ‘all works together‘!
If we consistantly stick with the basics and get the sleeve well designed with the proper thermal control for part being produced, the rest of the system technology can really perform. Thermal alignment is still one of the most significant parts the die cast system. Especially, because parts are becoming bigger and are being produced at a faster rate we can no longer overlook its importance.
Once the sleeve system is stable, the tip system system can then operate to its maximum potential, we can use the least amount of lubrication and vacuum can pull to it maximum effect.
I will continue to talk about the complete system later, but this is a reminder, even to myself, that if we take care of the basic fundamentals first, apply a little technology, we can be successful in producing great parts.
Just about to catch a flight, to be continued…..
Disruptive Technology
What is it? Joseph Bower and Clayton Christensen invented the term just over 10 years ago. “It is an innovation that fulfils the requirements of some, but not most, consumers better than the incumbent does”. That gives it a toehold, which allows room for improvement and eventually dominance. The risk for the incumbent firms is that of proverbial boiling frog. They may not know when to switch from old to new until it is too late.
A recent example that is familiar to all is the digital camera. When they first came out, they were expensive and had quite low resolution. They offered 2 distinct advantages though. A user could view a picture immediately after taking it, and he could download it and send it to a friend. Now, nearly 15 years since the first digital cameras came on the market, the film camera is nearly extinct.
There is another example in the music industry. The iPod has completely changed the way we purchase and listen to music. When CD’s came out, records and tapes quickly became extinct. Now the iPod and other digital hard drive players have made the CD nearly extinct, along with the stores that sold them.
What about the car and oil industries? Internal combustion engines have dominated transportation for a century. Many think that by the year 2020 10% of new cars bought will be electric, and by 2025 a third will be electrically powered, one way or another. BYD, a Chinese firm has its eyes set on dominating the globe with its electric powered vehicle. It will introduce its first vehicle to the United States next year. Warren Buffet appears to agree, having bought 10% of the company.
Castool has been involved with Disruptive Technology in both industries it serves since its beginning. Infact, its what we do best.
Castool was amongst the pioneers of the fixed dummy block, smart container, single cell die oven, modular plunger tip, and thermally controlled shot sleeve. In all cases the new technology has replaced the old. Although most extruders and die casters understand the technology of the new products, their use is not yet universal. In today’s ultra-competitive market, any extruder or die caster not using these products is unlikely to survive.
There are several items coming to market in the coming months that we also believe will be disruptive: RDX (robotic die expediter), TC (total control) Quench, Visual Optimizers for both extrusion and die cast. The goal is to change the way both operations are done.
The Hidden Heart of Die Casting
The role of the plunger system in the die casting process is deceptively simple. Molten alloy is poured into one end of the shot sleeve and pushed out the other end. This is done repeatedly, and as quickly as possible. The effective operation of the plunger system is essential to productive die casting, for an unusual reason. The real worth of an effective plunger system is not measured by what it does, but by what it doesn’t do. That is, an effective plunger system does not make good die casting happen, it allows it to happen. Let me explain.
In an ideal die casting production process, it is very important that the shot end system be virtually invisible. Castings should be made rapidly and repeatedly, one after another, without interruption or delay. These castings will have no porosity, no non-metallic inclusions, and be both dimensionally and mechanically perfect for the intended application. For this to happen, the plunger system must be so well designed and maintained, that the die caster can simply take for granted the fact that it will never interrupt the repetitive die casting cycle, or delay it in any way. The only factors limiting the speed and consistency of production should be the alloy being used, the required dimensional and mechanical properties of the part, and its finish. The plunger must therefore repeatedly run quickly and smoothly through a properly lubricated perfectly round and straight shot sleeve, while maintaining a constant gap. An absolutely reliable plunger system is in truth the hidden heart of any successful die casting process.
A Critical Interaction
The interaction between the plunger and the shot sleeve is critical. Unless each is operating at close to optimum efficiency, the operating life of both will be substantially reduced.
Four thousandths of an inch (0.102mm) is the maximum allowable gap between the plunger tip and the shot sleeve during the casting process. If at any time during the shot, the gap exceeds 0.004”, the alloy is likely to penetrate the space, and flash or blowby will occur. This will inevitably cause excessive wear on both the shot sleeve and the plunger tip. If the gap becomes much less than 0.004”, there is a danger of interference that will cause inconsistent shot velocity. Scrap will result. It is essential, therefore, that a gap that is never more than four thousandth of an inch be maintained at all times during the casting cycle
Dimensional stability of both the plunger tip and the shot sleeve is imperative, It can only be achieved through thermal stability. The temperature of both the plunger tip and the shot sleeve must therefore be controlled at all times…
Thermal Expansion
Unfortunately, when metal is heated it expands.
The clearance between the plunger and the shot sleeve never remains constant. At the start of the casting cycle, at the pour end the sleeve is very hot, and the plunger tip is comparatively cool. As the plunger moves forward toward the die end, the tip becomes hotter. At the end of the injection stroke, the sleeve dissipates heat to the platen and the die, and cools. The tip therefore expands while the shot sleeve contracts. If the initial clearance at the pour end is small enough to prevent penetration of the alloy past the tip of the plunger, and the temperature of both plunger and shot sleeve are not adequately controlled, the plunger may seize in the sleeve before reaching the end of the stroke. The chance of this happening increases with the length of the shot sleeve.
Incomplete Runs
A problem that is shared by most die casters is the unplanned downtime that is caused when casting must be discontinued before the scheduled production run has been completed. This can be caused by many factors.
The incidence of uncompleted runs has proven to be greatly reduced and often completely eliminated by the adoption off thermally controlled shot sleeves, an effective lubrication system, modular plunger and high speed vacuum valves. Each contributes to improved productivity. Combined, these interactive components combat a number of costly problems that have traditionally been considered inevitable by many die casters.
Conclusion
“You can count on it.” This is the highest praise for any die casting shot end system. One good quality shot sleeve and plunger combination seldom produces product markedly better or more quickly than another. Consistency and longevity, however, distance a superior system from the rest.
The plunger system is, indeed, “The Hidden Heart of Die Casting”. The heart is an apt analogy, because the die caster must be able to count on the plunger – shot sleeve system to neither falter nor fail.
The die caster will then simply fill the die as quickly as he can, Empty it as quickly as he can. And continue to do this as often and as long as he can.
10 Worst Practices by Light Metal Die Casters
I originally published an article in 2005 on the 10 worst practices by light metal die casters. I thought that I would post part of that article as a review. Some things have not changed. I refrain from using the word never.
Total Die Cast Tooling System
Poor Practice Checklist
1. Plunger and shot sleeve not perfectly aligned.
2. Die, shot sleeve, and plunger tip not properly preheated.
3. Clearances uncontrolled between sleeve and platen, and sleeve and die.
4. Gate runner in the shot sleeve instead of in the die.
5. Shot sleeves are not always designed for maximum efficiency.
6. Inadequate cooling allows too much plunger tip expansion.
7. Improper tip and sleeve lubrication.
8. Inadequate venting
9. Increased pressure simply masks process problems.
10. Plunger tip and shot sleeve considered separately instead of together.
The market for light metal die castings continues to increase. Customers now want larger and more complex castings, and the castings must satisfy much tighter specifications than ever before. The actual process of cold chamber die casting, however, remains basically unchanged. How can this changing demand be met? The only solution is, ”Better die casting.”
The checklist above is in no particular order, as it is impossible to estimate the real cost to the die caster of any one of these flawed practices. The actual total cost must include scrap, shortened operating life of components, increased downtime, late deliveries, customer dissatisfaction, etc. The list is simply ten quite common examples of poor practice in the production of light metal castings. Few die casters can honestly say that they have none of these poor practices in their plants.
Arguably, the single worst practice, that is unfortunately common to many light metal die casters, is failing to take advantage of the opportunities to increase productivity by improving the efficiency of their shot end components.
Anything that can be measured can be improved. Even a small improvement in several of the problem areas listed will have a considerable cumulative effect that is guaranteed to immediately increase productivity and profit.
The Time Is Now For Vacuum-Assisted Die Casting
Here is Paul’s full article in PDF: The Time Is Now For Vacuum-Assisted Die Casting
Excerpt from Die Casting Engineer Magazing – July 2009
The market is there. The improved technology is available. The time is now.
Just now, immediately following the global economic meltdown, we are entering a period of unprecedented and virtually unlimited opportunity for the aluminum die casting industry. Automakers throughout the world are urgently redesigning and retooling to produce smaller, lighter vehicles that will cost less and use less fuel. The fact that if the weight of a vehicle is reduced by 10%, the fuel consumption is reduced by 6-8% means that the strength-to-weight ratio of steel, plastic and aluminum for every component of these new models is now being carefully compared. This will inevitably result in a much increased demand for die cast aluminum product. An additional factor is also involved in this equation.
A critical but as yet seldom articulated factor in the future use of aluminum products is the influence of “Generation Jones.” This is a term used to describe the generation of people born between 1954 and 1965, right after the well-known post-war “Baby Boomers” who dominated our culture for so long. Just now, Generation Jones, agest 45 – 55, has a commanding presence in both industry and politics.
Today, nearly any product can be profitable made with a vacuum-assisted die casting system.
More than a quarter of all adults in North America and Western Europe are Jonesers. To date, they have been a largely anonymous generation, but with some consistent and clearly defined characteristics. For the die cast industry, the most important of these is a strong sense of responsibility for the protection of our global environment. With regard to the use of aluminum in the automotive sector, for example, to a Joneser the fact that a lighter car using less fuel produces less greenhouse gas emmission is almost as important as its reduced cost of operation. He will also be attracted by the recyclable potential of the aluminum product. All of this influences the Joneser’s support of anything that will increase the profitable use of aluminum.
The best time ever for die casters to improve their productivity and profit is now. The opportunity is imediate.
Promoting Vacuum Again?
The use of vacuum is not new to die casters. It was first introduced a number of years ago. To date, the results have been rather inconsistent.
Every die caster knows the theory and advantages of vacuum-assisted casting. Because of the turbulence of the alloy as it is forced at a high pressure into the die cavity, and the complex shape of many casting molds, air and other gases are often trapped in the metal. This, of course, results in porosity in some parts of the casting. Porosity causes more rejected castings than anything else.
The real cost of rejected products is actually very high and, more often than not, underestimated by the die caster. the total value of the machine time that is lost while producing the rejected product is never recovered. It should be calculated as the selling price of good product made in an equal period, less only scrap recovery.
If the casting is to be chromed, painted or powder coated, or if any part of the casting is very thin, any air or gas inclusions usually result in a rejection. Porosity also affects the mechanical properties of the product. In structural applications, it can act as a stress concentrator and, therefore, create a site where cracks may occur.
An additional problem is the fact that porosity in a casting may not always be immediately apparent. If discovered after subsequent secondary processing, customer-dissatisfaction can be extreme. The only solution is vacuum assistance.
Before the injection shot occurs, a vacuum is drawn in both the shot sleeve and the mold cavity. The vaccum is maintained until the injection cycle is completed. Almost all the air is positively evacuated from the mold. A good vacuum in the mold cavity enables the alloy to flow into blind recesses in complex shapes. It also allows the fronts of the molten metal to merge freely without forming shuts. Whatever vacuum method is employed, if it works well, improved quality and reduced scrap can be guaranteed.
Only If It Works Well…
There’s the rub. Vacuum-assisted die casting is essential to any die caster who wants to eliminate porosity… who wants to make larger, thinner, more complicated parts, and with less pressure – but only if it works well.
When any new product or technology comes to market, it is often difficult to immediately use it effectively, especially if it is assumed that the system with which it works will support its use. This is precisely what occurred when vacuum was introduced in die casting several years ago. The die caster needed an extreme application to justify its use, because at that time, the vacuum valve required so much maintenance. The problem was compounded when the shot sleeve and plunger tip often did not work together well enough to create a secure seal. This, of course, resulted in air being pulled into the die cavity. This unfortunate situation was further worsened when the die caster introduced a heavy lubricant or grease in an ill-advised attempt to seal the gap. This was constantly being pulled into the valve, and was often the reason for its failure. Understandably, the amount of downtime was uncommonly high.
Just a few years ago, if the average die caster invested in a vacuum system, his downtime often offset his profit, and unless the requirement of his product were so stringent that they couldn’t be satisfied without vacuum, he couldn’t afford it.
Today, nearly any product can be profitably made with a vacuum-assisted die casting system. We now have a valve that is stronger, has fewer moving parts and required minimal maintenance. Previously, most vaccum valves required maintenance after about 3,000 to 6,000 shots. With today’s valve, a die caster can expect 20,000 to 40,000 shots or more before maintenance is required.
This much improved valve is now working very profitable, while supported by a thermally controlled shot sleve and plunger tip combination that create a secure seal, using a minimal amount of a special benign lubricant.
Resetting the Die Cast Industry
Our economy has been reset. That is a fact. We can’t change it. We must accept it and manage to operate within the parameters of this newly reset business environment for an indefinite period.
How can the die casting industry best and more profitable reset itself?
The short answer has to be – by better die casting.
A huge and unexpected opportunity in a single market sector has developed almost overnight, and at the same time almost all other sectors are in sharp decline. Competition has suddenly become intense. Some die casting plants are already closed.
Vacuum-assisted die casting was introduced primarily to enable die casting to meet the demands of automakers and their Tier One vendors. Some die casters used it well and became very successful. Others didn’t. The reason most often was that they didn’t realize that the technology of the vacuum assist is so unforgiving. A die cast shot end system using vacuum either works very well or it is worse than useless.
Just now, the temperatures of both the plunger tip and the shot sleeve are being controlled better than ever before. Their interaction is improved and the integrity of the seal ensured. Also, the best vaccum valves now are indefinitely more relable than those of only a few years ago.
Yesterday, the choice was cheaper or better. This is no longer a choice. Today the product must be cheaper and better. It is fair to assume that in today’s business climate, most die casters who do not embrace the vacuum assist will possibly fail.
The market is there. The improved technology is available. The time is now.
Die Casting, and Two Useful Laws of Physics
A law of physics can be defined as the mathematical relationship between measurable quantities that describe the physical state and properties of bodies. This is the fundamental concept.
Knowledge, by definition, must be factual. In the context of light metal die casting, most useful knowledge is based on the laws of physics. These rules were created empirically, over time. They are immutable. They cannot be changed.
In the die casting process, for example, much of the critical interaction between the plunger tip and the shot sleeve depends on the following two basic laws:
“The coefficient of thermal expansion is the fractional change in length of a material for a unit change in temperature.”
If you know the coefficient of thermal expansion for the materials you are using for both the plunger tip and the shot sleeve, for example, and the amount of change in temperature (ΔT), the amount of expansion of each can be accurately calculated and therefore predicted.
“The coefficient of thermal conductivity is the rate at which heat is transferred through a unit cross-sectional area of a material when a temperature gradient exists perpendicular to the area.”
If you know the coefficient of thermal conductivity for the material of the shot sleeve, by using finite element analysis the changing flow of temperature throughout the shot sleeve during the casting cycle can be accurately determined.
The results of each of these two laws are predictable, measurable, and precise.
Die Evacuation: Fast, Efficient and Reliable
David Purdy will be presenting this paper at Cast Expo/10, Orlando on Tuesday March 23 at 8:30 AM
ABSTRACT
No one would deny that the use of vacuum in high-pressure die-casting has brought about crucial improvements in quality. Castool and VDS have devoted considerable effort to developing reliable high-speed vacuum shut-off valves with very high performance.
For high integrity casting, where high quality castings with low porosity are required, a high-speed secure vacuum valve is the best solution.
INTRODUCTION
Vacuum pressure die-casting makes it possible to produce high-quality thin-walled parts with predictable and repeatable mechanical properties. The successful use of vacuum requires fast and accurate control of the vacuum valve, and precise timing of its cut-off.
The vacuum valve must be fast, efficient and reliable.
THE VACUUM LEVEL
There are three essential requirements for an appropriate vacuum system.
• Vacuum tank with a large volume relative to that of the die cavity to ensure rapid evacuation, a high
level of vacuum in the die, and effective elimination of impurities, dirt and so on after the shot.
• High vacuum in the tank should be at least one millibar.
• Good sealing throughout the system (die and shot end system) to keep air leaks to a minimum.
CRITERION FOR THE CHOICE
The criterion is the level of vacuum in the die cavity just as the metal enters, at the end of the slow movement of the shot piston (just over a second after the piston begins to move). The best way to determine this is to measure it directly, comparing evacuation devices of a comparable size for the casting weight. The size of the high-speed valve is dependant on the critical evacuation section. This is the smallest section that the exhausting gas passes through. The smaller the evacuation section, the longer is the evacuation time. For a valid comparison, the measurement has to be made with valves having the same critical evacuation section, with a machine set up for high vacuum tightness.
VDS has a laboratory test bench, which was built to optimize the design of its valves. The equipment permits the evacuation of gas volumes from 0.1 to 40 liters, and directly measures the pressure in the die cavity as well as that at the valve. The measurements have been performed for a large number of casting shot-weights, performing the evacuation in an extremely tight die and shot sleeve. Precise absolute pressure transducers and a high-speed data acquisition system are used to measure and record the pressures.
CHILL VENT VERSUS ProVac VACUUM VAVLE
A chill vent is a device made of two half blocks designed to allow very fast heat removal, to force the molten metal to freeze quickly. The cavity between the two half blocks is narrow (at most 1 mm) and wide. It is also wavy, to increase the surface area and the heat transfer. The structure itself of the chill vent therefore prevents the easy passing through of the gas.
This is not the same for a high-speed vacuum valve.
In a typical case, the tests were made for a 4 kg shot-weight part (evacuation volume of 3 liters), comparing the ProVac® Plus 2000 vacuum valve and a chill vent, each one having the same critical evacuation section of 60 mm2.
Comparing their performances, the VDS valve can evacuate 3 liters of gas to achieve a cavity pressure of 100 mbar in just 1.3 seconds, whereas the chill vent did not attain this level of vacuum even after the unacceptably long time of 2.5 seconds. This result is highly significant in relation to casting quality. The die cavity pressure with the valve also fell to 50 mbar after 1.8 seconds.
In a further test, a bigger chill vent was used, with twice the evacuation section of 120 mm2. It took 1.55 seconds to reach 100 mbar, 20% longer than the valve. Of course using so large a chill vent for such a small shot weight would be quite impractical in reality, (large vacuum channels and loss of metal, very high projected surface, higher price, poor process repeatability and so on).
It is difficult to predict what is happening in the die during the evacuation, since the pressure is normally only measured at the vacuum valve or chill vent, and therefore the measurement of the evacuation will show approximately the same behavior for both evacuation devices in spite of huge differences in evacuation performance.
Generally speaking, a chill vent takes two to three times longer to evacuate the die than a high-speed valve. This remarkable difference in evacuation capability is the result of the higher airflow resistance of the chill vent compared to that of the vacuum valve.
Vacuum measurement in a valve – a valid measurement
When the aspiration piston closes the aspiration hole, the hole for the measurement of vacuum is closed at the same time. The last pressure before the closure is the measured level of the vacuum, and this value is recorded and stored.
Vacuum measurement in a chill vent – an invalid measurement
At the moment when the die cavity is sealed off from the vacuum by the solidified aluminum between the two chill vents half blocks, the manometer remains directly coupled to the vacuum tank. The recorded measurement of the pressure therefore bears no relation to the vacuum in the die.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Design and use
i. For easy and quick maintenance, the VDS valve mechanism is made of a small number of large components
ii. The VDS mechanism is designed for low friction, with suitable low-wear materials.
iii. VDS uses a valve with a reliable mechanism. Mechanisms and their reliability differ greatly from one valve to the other. A careful risk analysis of the closure mechanism makes it possible to determine what the failure potentials are, and if the valve is reliable.
iv. Adequate vacuum runners must be cut into the die from the casting parts or overflows to the vacuum valve. To ensure the best evacuation, the runner sections should be dimensioned adequately. The main runner section, the sum of the side runner section and the total gate section should all be similar to or slightly bigger than the critical evacuation section.
v. The valve runners should guarantee reliable closure. The shape of the vacuum channels strongly affects reliability. Incoming metal at very high speed shows an atomized metal front. The front should be directed towards a “security zone” where it is imprisoned, and then should be conducted as late as possible near the evacuation piston. Such an arrangement can much reduce the incidence of failures.
vi. The vacuum channels should be cut on the ejector-side of the die according to a special shape for high security. VDS strongly recommends cutting the vacuum channels on the side opposite to that carrying the closure mechanism. This ensures that the heat removed from the liquid metal will mainly escape without disturbing the high precision mechanism.
vii. VDS uses a long and powerful blow out procedure. The blow out serves two purposes, the first being to cool the valve’s internal mechanism and the second to clean it. Therefore it is recommended to use a strong flow of air during blow out, and to maintain it throughout the whole die lubrication operation.
viii. The valve should be thermally cycled as is done for the die. It is recommended to spray the valve during the die release agent spraying phase. At each production cycle the amount of heat carried into the valve has to be removed just as it is for the die, in order to ensure steady state casting operations.
viiii. The shot sleeve should be thermally and dimensionally stable to provide a reliable seal, and an absolute minimum amount of lubrication applied in all vacuum installations.
Maintenance
Since not only gas but also dirt, die release agent, and ash have to be evacuated through the evacuation device a certain amount of maintenance is needed. A high-speed valve has high precision moving parts, and VDS recommends carrying out maintenance after 5000 shots to prolong valve life and ensure product consistency (but there have been many instances of customers’ successfully putting off maintenance until more than 20,000 shots).
THE VAMP – PROCESS MONITORING ENSURES GOOD AND REPEATABLE QUALITY
Measuring the pressure in the die is normally extremely difficult, and it may significantly increase the costs of the process, so that in practice it is hardly ever done. VDS has solved this problem with a new advanced analysis system called the Vacuum Analyzing and Monitoring Processor (VAMP).
The VAMP is a microprocessor-supported deep level analysis and control tool for monitoring and optimizing cavity evacuation. In addition it is a tool to help in diagnosing some general characteristics of the die-casting process.
The embedded computerized system is permanently connected to pressure sensors for high precision measurements and to a complete database consisting of laboratory-measured pressure curves.
The VAMP uses either a Siemens or Allen Bradley CPU for advanced analysis of vacuum-curves, suction capacity and pollution control, monitoring and determination of leaks in the die and in the shot sleeve.
The results of the VAMP analysis are stored both in forms of characteristic values giving a summary of the main characteristics for the shot, and also in the form of complete evacuation curves. The user can log more than 20 years of operating results on the hard disk. Results can be reviewed easily to highlight improvements in quality or changes in the die-casting process.
THE VAMP – DETERMINING PRESSURE IN THE DIE WITHOUT AN EMBEDDED SENSOR
The VAMP does more than analyzing and monitoring. In the heart of its main program there is a consistent database of laboratory-measured vacuum curves. This database was built up by making a comprehensive series of tests similar to the one which make it possible to predict the die cavity pressure from that measured at the valve or the chill vent. The tests were carried out for all sizes of ProVac® valves with or without vacuum channels, and for a variety of shot weights, and the relation between measured pressure and in-die pressure described mathematically with respect to each one of these parameters. The VAMP uses the database to predict the variation through time of the die cavity pressure from that of the measured pressure at the valve or the chill vent. The procedure is as follows:
• VAMP assumes that the vacuum runners have been cut into the die according to VDS recommendations, which means among other things that the critical evacuation section will be located not in the runners, but in the valve. If this is not so, then the evacuation speed will be lower by an indeterminate amount than that predicted from the database.
• The program calculates the prediction using the database and the mathematical relations.
• The validity of the prediction is verified by checking if the first derivative with respect to time of the measured pressure is plausible. This slope is related to the volume of gas to evacuate and to the leaks of the die and shot-sleeve. Were the vacuum runners for example to be closed by a jam, then this slope would be very much steeper than it could possibly be in relation to the shot-weight.
The VAMP first shot-pattern shows among other things the predicted pressure in the die cavity, which is a vital indicator of quality in vacuum pressure die-casting.
THE VAMP – MANY OTHER HELPFUL TOOLS
The VAMP – Vacuum Analyzing and Monitoring Processor can be very helpful for improving quality in die-casting. They are for example zooming on curves, overview of minima and history, determination of characteristic values (slopes etc.), alarms adjustable on different levels for optimal production monitoring, users’ “ideal curves” for comparison and alarms, monitoring of the leaks in the die and shot-sleeve, advanced checks of the evacuation capacity, distribution of the VAMP-windows on the Local Area Network…
CONCLUSION
Castool and VDS’s advanced high security high-speed valves help the die-caster on his way towards high quality and a secure and repeatable die-casting process.
For high integrity casting, where high quality casting with low porosity as well as repeatability in the process and evidence of the optimal fabrication are required, a high-speed secure vacuum valve is the best solution.
For advanced evacuation in high quality die-casting, the use of the Vacuum Analyzing and Monitoring Processor (VAMP) is a major advantage. This computer-assisted system with its embedded sensors, used in conjunction with a complete database built up from laboratory-measured vacuum curves, offers a totally new perspective for improving the pressure die-casting process.
RDX (Remote Die Expediter)
The RDX Process
First, the die man brings the die and places it in an empty cradle. The die will remain in this cradle and be moved robotically until it is placed in the die slide by the operator.
Using a key punch, the operator enters the die number. If there is an existing production formula from the Visual Optimizing System, it will be activated. If not, the operator will prepare an initial formula and activate it.
The die is then automatically moved into the scheduling area by a gantry robot.
The press operator chooses which die is to be placed in an empty die oven. The robot places the die in the oven where it is heated to the temperature required by the formula.
When the operator requests the next die to be run, the robot moves the die from the oven to a heated holding area. Maintaining the temperature of the heated die while waiting to be used is critical. If uncontrolled, die temperature will drop by about 5ºC every 10 minutes in air, and 10ºC every minute in the die slide.
After it leaves the heated holding area, the press operator moves the die from its cradle to the die slide using eye bolt/crane previously employed. The RDX system requires no change to existing handling equipment.
Globish
English has displaced rivals to become the language of diplomacy, of business, of science, of the internet and of the world economy.
Many more people speak Chinese – but even they, in vast numbers, are trying to learn English.
Bit by bit, English displaced French from diplomacy and German from science. The reason for this was America’s rise and the lasting bonds created by the British empire. But the forgiving nature of the language itself was another. English allows plenty of variants from Singlish in Singapore to Estglish in Estonia. The main words are familiar, but plenty of new ones are also found.
Expressiveness is really the goal of any language, in personal and professional life.
There is a big shift towards a universal language so-called Globish.
Metrics
CEO’s usually have all the money they need. Why then does it seem that they care more about stock value and the compensation it produces than other forms of motivation?
CEO’s care more about stock value because that’s how we measure them. If we want to change what they care about, we should change what we measure.
Human behaviour adjusts based on the metrics they are measured by. What you measure, is what you get.
When stock value is used, the focus should be on long term value.
More importantly is what are the new numbers that direct leader’s attention to the real drivers of sustainable success.
Ideally, they’d vary by industry, situation, and mission, but here are a few obvious choices: How many new jobs have been created by your firm? How strong is your pipeline of new patents? How satisfied are your customers? Your employees? What’s the level of trust in your company and brand? How much carbon dioxide do you emit?
