The process of pressure die casting is often used by die casting companies to produce metallic objects with excellent strength and impressive properties. The demand for pressure die casting is on the rise these days due to the growing need for lightweight materials in the automotive industry. In addition to that, industries that need products with a favorable strength to weight ratio and low weight heavily relies on the process of pressure die casting.
In most cases, die casters usually use magnesium over other materials when it comes to pressure die casting because magnesium is the ideal candidate for the process. However, magnesium in its pure form is relatively soft, which makes it less suitable for pressure die casting.
So, die casters usually mix pure magnesium with silicon, manganese, zinc, aluminum, and other metals in order to use it as a construction material. The tensile strength of the resultant alloy may vary from 200 to 310 MPa based on the composition of the metals. The tensile strength of aluminum alloys may also fall under this range in most cases.
Most of the magnesium metals that are used for the process of pressure die casting have excellent electromagnetic shielding and damping properties. In addition to that, magnesium alloys are relatively easy to process and they can be entirely recycled with ease.
One of the major issues with magnesium alloys is that they often interact with oxygen molecules when they are in their pulverized and metal form. This in turn results in a strong exothermal reaction, which may cause explosion-like deflagrations. So, die casters put in extra efforts to protect the surface of magnesium alloys. Two of the most commonly used magnesium alloys that are ideal for the process of pressure die casting are the following.
AM50
AM50 is the most popular choice of die casters when it comes to pressure die casting. The excellent castability, good corrosion resistance, and fine strength to weight ratio of this magnesium alloy allow die casters to produce finished products with superior properties.
AM60B
This magnesium is alloy is commonly used for automotive die castings for components such as seat frames and instrument panel structures. This alloy offers excellent energy absorbing and castability properties. In addition to that, AM60B alloys have excellent strength and are ductile.