Alcan Automotive

Engineered Shaped Products

High-Q-Cast ™
High Pressure Diecasting Technology
 High-Q-Cast ™

Process Development
25 %
High-Q-Cast
20 %
Elongation A5

Vacuum HPDC
15 %
Conventionell
Diecasting
10 %
Weldabl
e
5%
Reduced
weldability
0%

0% 0,5 % 1% 1,5 % 2% 2,5 % 3%

Porosity VP after Heat Treatment at 520° C

March 6, 2003 2
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast ™

March 6, 2003 3
 Casting processes
Fully automatic

high pressure

die casting and

trimming

machine

March 6, 2003 4
 High-Q-Cast ™
Process Chain for Structure Castings including Q- Gates
Melt Heat
Melting Treatment Casting
Treatment

Q-Gate Q- Gate Q- Gate Q- Gate

Spectral Density Check Tensile Test
X-Ray
Analysis
Weldability Ckeck
Crack Investigation
Blister Tests

Goods
Washing and
Received at Logistic Machining
Etching
Customer plant
Q- Gate Q- Gate

Size Check
Visual Inspection

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 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Vacuum

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 High-Q-Cast ™
1.1 Vacuum
Technical Data:

Vacuum pressure inside cavity: < 50 mbar

Vacuum tank pressure: < 10 mbar
Vacuum valve response time (hydr. Drive): 100 ms ± 10 ms
Vacuum valve response time (electr. Drive): 3 ms ± 1ms
Vacuum valve life time: ca. 50,000 cycles
Valve cross sections: 60 mm2 (Type I)
120 mm2 (Type II)
240 mm2 (Type III)

March 6, 2003 7
 High-Q-Cast ™

Vacuum / Hydraulic
Equipment

1 Dust Filter
2 2/2 Solenoid Valve
3 Fine Filter
4 Three Way Valve
5 Vacuum Pump
6 Vacuum Tank
7 Vacuum Sensor with Electric
Switch
8 Acoustic Alarm Device
9, 10 Optic Alarm Device
11 4/2 Way Valve
12 Check Valve
13 Accumulator
March 6, 2003 14 Safety Valve 8
 High-Q-Cast ™
Shot Profile

Vacuum stop

Vacuum start

March 6, 2003 9
 High-Q-Cast ™
Vacuum Pressure

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 High-Q-Cast ™
Multi Function Control
Contact Manometer / Sensor
• Vacuum level 400 mbar reached ?
900 mbar

400 mbar
• No contact during solidification time
at 400 mbar needle (leakage check) ?

• Time required between 900 mbar and

400 mbar during evacuation (vacuum
performance) ?

• Time required between 400 mbar and

900 mbar during venting (blocked pipe) ?

March 6, 2003 11
 High-Q-Cast ™
Valve Design (Hydraulic Drive)

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 6
51 Seal

220 bar

25

Ø22

10

Linear motion bearing

March 6, 2003 13
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Die Design

March 6, 2003 14
 Unfavorable shapes

■ Sharp corners, edges

■ acute angle
■ high ribs
■ extreme cross section changes
■ Nodes (local wall thickness
accumulation )
■ Flow barriers (cores)

March 6, 2003 15
 Sharp corners, edges, acute angles

■ Sharp corners and edges are causing high internal

stresses due to notch effects as well as reduced heat
flow
⇒ permanent elongation ⇒ heat cracks ⇒ burrs

Stresses Temperature

March 6, 2003 16
 Acute angle

a) Additional struts
a) b) and modified wall alignment

⇒ less shrinkage force, less stresses,

longer die life,
better surface quality due to
avoidance of scratches, better
ejection
b)

March 6, 2003 17
 Cross section changes

⇒ incomplete die fill at very small

cross sections, trapped gases and
oxides caused by turbulences,
poor die fill behaviour as a result
of discontinuous flow

turbulences

March 6, 2003 18
 Avoidance of massive cross section changes

Continuous dilatation of wall

thickness after Heuversscher rule

⇒ no turbulences,
no trapped air or oxides ,
better fill behaviour
K ≤ 15°

March 6, 2003 19
Suitability

Gravity Casting
Schmiede Stiche
1-n

Forging SSM HQC

100 10 10 6 4 2 1
Average wall thickness (mm)
Suitability

Forging operations
1-n

Forging Gravity Casting SSM HQC

1 10 18 100 350 1000
Flow lenght / Wall thickness

March 6, 2003 20
 Moving half of casting tool
with gate system(green) and
overflow/vacuum system (red)
Part contour (blue)
position of ejector pins (purple)
cooling/heating systems (dark green)

March 6, 2003 21
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Simulation

March 6, 2003 22
Software
Process-
Parameter

Simulation
Geometry Material Data
Software

Failure Prediction Optimization

• Incomplete Die Fill • Gate/Runner Design
• Sticking • Casting Process
• Trapped Gases
• Shrincage Porosity
• Distortion
• Thermal Stresses

March 6, 2003
Problem Identification

weld AUDI A2 space frame

March 6, 2003 24
Solving the problem

straigthen the ingate channel optimisation of inlets

March 6, 2003 25
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Lubricants

March 6, 2003 26
 Gasgehalt (A*sec/g)
M
a-

0
100
45
M /K
a- J
M

March 6, 2003
59
a- /
59 HQ KJ
M /D 4 -
a- C 6 V/K
59 36 J
H /D ;1
Q C :4
M 4 6 0
a- -V/D 36;
59 C 1:
M /DC 63 60
a- 6;
59 33 1:
/D 3, 8
C R2 0
33 ;1
M 3 :
a- , R 40
59 2;
H /S 1:
Q Q 6
4- 43 0
V/ ;1
M S :
a- Q4 20
59 3;
/S 1:
Q 4
43 0
;1
:6
0
KW 25

Sf
-3
M 6 /?
a- ;?
59
M /D
a-
59 C
/D
33 Vergleich Vacural-Schliessteil
C 3; 1
63 :7
N 6 0
ip B; 1
po :8
n
N G 0
ip ;1
po :4
n 0
Al G
M ;1
gM :4
0
KW 32

Al n
M /CP
gM 5
n/ 03;
C
P5 1: 2
03 00
;1
Sf
-3 :2
6/ 75
C
Sf P5
-3
KW 43

6/ 03;
C
Sf P5 1: 2
-3 00
6/ 03;
M C Pos. 1
a- P 50
1:
2
59 3; 00
M /CP 1: Pos. 2
KW 25, 32 u. 43: Schliessteil-AUDI

a- 20
59 503 0
M /CP ; 1: Pos. 3
a- 2 00
59 503
/C ;
P5 1: 2 Pos. 1
03 0
;1 0
:2 Pos. 2
KW 50, B-Säule

00
Pos. siehe Abb. 4c

Pos. 3
Crack Products caused by Lubricants

H2
CO
N2 /

CH4

H2O
CO2

27
CH3+

1/2 N2
 Logamatic - Shot Sleeve Lubricant Application

Air Pressure

Die Lubricant

Operating
Pressure

March 6, 2003 28
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Process Monitoring

March 6, 2003 29
 High-Q-Cast ™

Humidity: 90%
CCC

Computer
Conducted
Casting Vacuum: 120 mbar

March 6, 2003 30
 High-Q-Cast ™

CCC

Computer
Conducted
Humidity: 15%
Casting Vacuum: < 50 mbar

March 6, 2003 31
High-Q-Cast ™

CCC

Computer
Conducted
Casting

March 6, 2003 32
High-Q-Cast ™

CCC

Computer
Conducted
Casting

March 6, 2003 33
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Melt Degassing Units

March 6, 2003 34
 High-Q-Cast ™

Automatic pouring furnace with continuous N2 degassing equipment

March 6, 2003 35
 High-Q-Cast ™
Potential Market: Suspension
•Longitudinal Beam

Alloy:
Aural-2
Heat Treatment:
Auraltherm™

March 6, 2003 36
 High-Q-Cast ™
Potential Market: Door Structures

Aural 2
as cast
Rp 0,2 > 130MPa
Rm > 270 Mpa
A5 > 6%

March 6, 2003 37
 High-Q-Cast ™
Potential Market: BIW Structures

red: Diecastings
blue: Extrusions •AUDI A2
green: Sheet Alloy : Aural-2™
Heat Treatment : Auraltherm™

March 6, 2003 38
 High-Q-Cast ™
Requirements for BIW castings:
„ Weight reduction
„ Crash performance
„ Elevated mechanical properties
„ Weldable castings (MIG, Laser)
„ Distortion free and accurate to dimension
„ Corrosion resistance

March 6, 2003 39
 High-Q-Cast ™
Elements of High-Q-Cast - Summary
Hardware components: Recommendations:
• Vacuum control unit (due to experience)
• Vacuum valves • Central vacuum station equipment
• Vacuum hydraulic (electronic) actuator • Lubricant chemistry
• Degassing units for melt treatment • Lubricant application units
• Sensors (vacuum, humidity, metal front detection) • Weldability analysis
• Lubricant application equipment for shot sleeves • DCM- Shot control system
• CCC application • .....

Software component: Primary Aluminum Alloys:

• Gate calculation program • Aural-2 (e.g. Structural castings)
• Aural-3 (e.g. Suspension castings)
• Aural-11 (high mechanical properties
Engineering support: at as cast)
• Auraltherm heat treatment
• Design guidelines for diecasting dies
• Numerical simulations (material datas)
• Defect analysis (castings)
• 4 days training

March 6, 2003 40
Basic equipment for 1 DCM (example) 1500t range: Valid until December 31, 2003

MFT High-Q-Cast
Pos. Nr. Part. Nr. Part description Quantity Euro Quantity Euro
1 98120 control unit "2" with operator panel (OP27) 1 25.367
2 00000 control unit High-Q-Cast (additional requirement is item 8) n.a. 1 67.000
(including metal and die thermo-management system)
3 00000 Gate calculation program (Windows version) 1 2.800 1 2.800

System per DCM (equipment for one die with two vacuum valves 240mm3)
4 98257 MFT - basic equipment 1 8.094 1 8.094
5 98293 evacuation line 2" (per system) 2 3.800 2 10.482
6 98067 insert complete (valve activator) 2 4.314 2 4.314
7 98118 die - closing valve complete incl. installation 2 2.426 2 2.426
8 80441 Cooling plate including assembly 2 848 2 848
Total for the first system 19.482 26.164

Technician and installation cost should be considered separately. It also will be

regulated through a Know-How / License agreement.

9 00000 Digital die moisture sensor (DDMS) system n.a. 1 4800

10 00000 Shot sleeve lubricant application system n.a. 1 8000

Peak analyzer 1 52000

Position monitoring device 1 17000
Metal sensors 2 8000
11 00000 Metal front detection system (including metal sensors) n.a. 2 77000

12 00000 High-speed valve (alternative to pos. no. 7) n.a. t.b.d.

13 00000 CCC Process monitoring (in addition to pos. no. 2) Optional n.a. 1 29.000

14 00000 Know-How fee per DCM 1 15.000 1 25.000

Upgrade fee for existing MFT machine to High-Q-Cast n.a. n.a. 1 10.000
15 00000 Training for a maximum of 3 persons during X days 2 18.000 4 36.000
Total amount 80.649 246.764
Royalties per quarter year 0 10.000
(alternatively one time fee) 200.000

Remarks: Vacuum pump station is not included in our pricing. Suggested price for one central station € 16.000 aprox.
n.a. not applicable italics optional
March 6, 2003 41
 Mechanical Properties of Aural alloys

R m [ Mpa ] RP 0,2 [ Mpa ] A5[%] Condition

Aural 2 250 – 310 120 - 150 5 -10 as cast
Aural 2 200 – 220 120 – 140 14 – 18 Auraltherm – 2

Aural 3 250 – 310 130 – 160 4–8 as cast

Aural 3 210 – 280 140 – 220 6 – 14 Auraltherm – 3

Aural 11 280 – 310 160 – 220 6 – 12 as cast

Aural 11 300 – 330 180 - 250 4–8 T5

EN 46000 240 140 <1 as cast

EN 43400 240 140 1 as cast

March 6, 2003 42
 Chemical Composition
Mg Si Fe Mn Ti Cu Sr Others
Aural 2 0,27 – 0,33 9,5 – 11,5 0,15 - 0,22 0,45 – 0,55 max 0,08 max 0,03 10 – 160 each 0,03
ppm total 0,1

Aural 3 0,4 – 0,6 9,5 – 11,5 0,15 - 0,22 0,45 – 0,55 max 0,08 max 0,03 10 – 160 each 0,03
ppm total 0,1

Aural 11 4,0 – 5,0 1,8 – 2,2 0,15 – 0,22 0,5 – 0,6 0,04 – max 0,03 - each 0,03
0,08 total 0,1

EN 46000 0,15 – 0,55 8,0 – 11,0 max 1,3 max 0,55 0,25 2,0 – 4,0 - -

EN 43400 0,2 – 0,5 9,0 – 11,0 max 1,0 max 0,55 0,2 0,1 - -

March 6, 2003 43
 General Behaviour
Weldability Corrosion Castability Proposed wall
resistance thickness
Aural 2 ++ ++ ++ 1,8 - 5

Aural 3 ++ ++ ++ 1,8 - 5

Aural 11 + Investigation + 2–5

activ

EN 46000 + - ++ 1,8 – 5

EN 43400 ++ + ++ 1,8 - 5

++ excellent + good - poor

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March 6, 2003 45