Time to Re-tool? Stopping Casting Defects on Aluminum Housing

Electrical Housing

This casting is a housing for an equalizer that permits the operation of 12-volt loads from 24-volt electrical systems. These equalizers can be found on work trucks, transit buses, military vehicles, and electric vehicles.

aluminum housing casting

Aluminum is the perfect material choice for electrical applications.

High strength-to-weight ratio. Balances necessary weight reduction with reliability in heavy-duty applications.
High thermal conductivity. Aluminum’s natural heat dissipation prevents overheating. Fins also help transfer heat!
Corrosion resistance. Aluminum is naturally rust-resistant. Special coatings and anodizing can further enhance durability.

This equalizer housing is made of aluminum casting alloy A356.

A Struggling Supplier

The customer approached BPI with a challenge: Their current vendor was struggling to get good parts out of the mold. The existing mold was either nearing the end of its lifespan or inadequately designed, leading to production inefficiencies and quality issues.

Time to Re-tool?

Casting defects typically caused by mold wear and tear or poor mold maintenance include peel, flash, parting line shift, inclusions, cracks, and misruns.

Casting defects typically caused by poor mold design include shrink, porosity, part bending and twisting, misruns/no fill, and cold shuts.

New & Improved Permanent Mold

BPI stepped in to design a new tool. Our expert team of engineers completed casting simulations and FEAs to guarantee this new permanent mold would produce quality parts from the start.

1 Mold Makes 3 Parts

What’s unique about this product is we use 1 mold to make 3 separate parts for the customer. The mold makes identical, repeatable castings that are then differentiated in secondary machining. Each machining program drills and cuts unique features, creating 3 unique products.

This is a big tooling cost saver! A single permanent mold produces 3 distinct parts. So instead of investing in 3 molds, the customer only needs to buy and maintain 1!

End Result: Quality

By switching suppliers, the client drastically improved product quality. Quality issues are frustrating! Not only do quality issues waste your time and resources, they can jeopardize project timelines and delay sales & delivery to your customers.

A reliable supplier is key to success but can be hard to come by. Is aluminum permanent mold casting right for you? Contact us today!