Glossary

Glossary

Die Casting

Lubrication System
The lubrication system is used to reduce the friction between the sleeve and the plunger, and to ensure the smooth passage of the plunger through the sleeve. It sprays a carefully measured amount of vaporized boron nitride throughout the length of the shot sleeve.

Modular Plunger Tip
The modular plunger tip is used to close the gap between the plunger and the shot sleeve. There are a variety of different configurations for the plunger tip to fill a number of different shot situations and conditions.

Oil Thermal Control Unit
The oil thermal control unit is used to preheat the shot sleeve before the pour to reduce the amount of temperature differential.

Plunger Rod
The role of the plunger system in the die casting process is to allow molten alloy to be poured into one end of the shot sleeve and pushed out the other end.

Replaceable Plunger Tip Wear Ring
The replaceable plunger tip wear ring expands to meet any changing diameter or contour of the shot sleeve, eliminates flash, maintains consistent shot speeds, and can be readily removed with a special hand tool.

Shot Sleeve Wear Insert
The shot sleeve wear insert is used to prolong the life of the shot sleeve.

Thermally Controlled Shot Sleeve
The thermally controlled shot sleeve is used for casting alloy. The plunger tip pushes the molten alloy through the shot sleeve, out of the smaller diameter end of the sleeve.

High Speed Vacuum Valve
The high speed vacuum valve proves especially useful in high integrity castings where low or no porosity is required; it closes reliably in less than three milliseconds.

Vacuum Controller
The vacuum controller allows for larger and thinner castings to be made by smaller machines, and valve preventative maintenance is now often not required until after at least 25, 000 shots.

Extrusion

Alignment Tool Stack
The alignment tool stack is used to check press alignment, die stack alignment to the pressure plate bore, and the stem alignment to the container bore.

Clean-out Block
The clean-out block is used to remove the build-up of oxide skin from the liner of a container after each change of alloy and after every shift.

Dummy Block
The dummy block is the extension of the ram and stem which pushes softened alloy through the die.

Heat Felts
Heat felts are used for moving product after it exits the die, allowing the product to cool more along the way. They are employed on runout tables.

Lubrication
Castool's preferred lubricant is Boron Nitride powder. The powder is given a high voltage charge with a special spray gun causing it to cling to the billet. It ensures clean separation of the dummy block from butt, ensure instant butt release from shear, among many other benefits.

Quick Response (QR) Container
The quick response container uses at least four temperature control zones to heat the liner, not the mantle, and maintain a consistent billet temperature as the alloy enters the die.

RDX System
The RDX system is used to expedite scheduling and heating of the die from the time of its arrival from the die shop until its installation on the press.

Remote Optical Pyrometers
The remote optical pyrometer is used to measure real temperatures with a guaranteed accuracy of within 1%.

Shear Blade
The shear blade is used to separate the butt from the rest of the die and extruded billet to prevent contamination and damage to the product.

Single-Cell Die Oven
The single-cell die oven is used to bring an extrusion die completely and uniformly to the required operating temperature in a short period of time.

Stem
The stem acts as a column, transmitting the force of the main cylinder to the billet. It must operate under high loads without bending, cracking, or upsetting.

Total Control (TC) Quench
The total control quench is used to cool various components used in the extrusion process.

Visual Optimizer
The Visual Optimizer is the ultimate aid for better extrusion. It allows for the press operator to know the temperatures at several critical areas during the extrusion cycle, plus the ram speed, and can positively control the process while the press is running.