Die casting companies incorporate the use of a release agent when they mold precision metal components. This is done to ensure that the parts, which are ejected from the die, are released easily without any damages. Die casting companies usually take a number of steps during the metal shaping process for producing quality finished metal product.
Mold release process is one of the most crucial steps of a die casting process. During this process, die casters spray a fixed amount of mold release agent right into the steel mold before each shot. The liquid will eventually get exposed to the hot steel, which results in the evaporation of the liquid. This evaporation will leave a proper amount of lubricant coating.
However, the use of an increased amount of lubricant is not recommended because it can considerably slow down the evaporation process, which in turn can lead to porosity in the finished product. This is the reason why many businesses hire experienced die casters to do the job because they can bring the desired results without compromising the quality of the final product.
There are wide varieties of mold sprays available to casters and they choose them according to the needs and demands of the clients. Most of the lubricants are usually geared towards aluminum, magnesium, zinc, and other base materials used in die casting. Die casting companies break down each lubricant by the complexity of the part and its overall function.
Die casting businesses generally use water-based lubricants for standard die casting processes. This is mainly due to the reason that these types of lubricants can act as a cooling medium and at the same time, they can act as a release agent. However, if the component needs to be plated or painted after the process, an oil-based mold spray needs to be used instead of water-based lubricants.
Even though oil-based lubricants offer a necessary release agent, they fail to offer the cooling offered by the water based lubricants. This particular attribute of oil-based lubricants is used to make high-quality cosmetic finishes with ease.
Several expert die casters advise their clients to include design engineers right from the design phase of the component, as it will help them to get the desired finished products.