Overview of die casting mold
Die casting is a method of casting liquid die forging, a process done on a dedicated die casting die forging machine. Its basic process is: the liquid metal is first cast at low speed or high speed into the mold cavity, the mold has an active cavity surface, and it is pressed with the cooling process of the liquid metal, which not only eliminates the shrinkage and porosity defects of the blank but also makes the internal organization of the blank reach the broken grain in the forged state. The comprehensive mechanical properties of the blank have been significantly improved.
Die-casting molds can be divided into hard molds and soft molds. Hard die refers to the conventional die casting mold, with hot work steel as the core material, the hardness of the die steel after quenching, the hardness value reaches 46-50 degrees, and the die life is generally 50,000-150,000 die times. Soft die, also known as fast die, is mainly used for experimental new products, with cold steel as the core material, die steel does not need to be quenched, the hardness is low, the general hardness value is 28-32 degrees, and the die life is generally 500-2,000 mold times.
Industrial chain
With China's automobile industry entering a period of rapid growth, the increase in automobile production has attracted worldwide attention, and China's die-casting production has also maintained high growth. At present, supporting the automotive industry is still the main task of the die-casting industry, and the development of the die-casting industry is closely related to automobile sales. In 2017, China's total production of die casting was 4.79 million tons, an increase of 6.2%. In 2018-2019, affected by the economic downturn, automobile sales decreased by 2.76% and 8.23% year-on-year, respectively, and the total output of die casting decreased by 1.5% and 4.9% year-on-year. In 2020, auto sales fell by 1.78%, but driven by the growth of new energy vehicle production and sales to the die-casting industry, the total production of die-casting parts increased by 3% year-on-year to 4.62 million tons. Although there is substantial price increase pressure on raw materials such as aluminum alloy in 2021, the die-casting industry is still bucking the trend, and the production of die-casting parts is estimated to be 4.96 million tons in 2022.
Development status of die casting mold industry in China
The rapid development of die-casting mold enterprises in China started in the early 1990s, mainly with motorcycle parts die-casting mold, into the 21st century, with the rapid development of China's automobile industry, some leading die-casting mold enterprises have increased the investment in advanced, large equipment and advanced testing equipment. It mainly produces medium-sized die-casting molds such as automobile brackets, clutches, oil pans, manual transmissions, etc., which has driven the rapid development of die-casting mold enterprises in the country, and greatly improved the mold manufacturing level and manufacturing process. At present, China's die-casting mold development cycle, and production level have been significantly improved, not only to meet the needs of domestic large, precision die-casting mold but also to Europe and the United States and other traditional die-casting mold exports. In 2016, the sales revenue of China's die-casting mold industry was 26.54 billion yuan, and the industry sales revenue increased to 34.15 billion yuan in 2022, and the compound growth rate of China's die-casting mold industry sales revenue since 2016 was 4.29%.
From the perspective of China's die-casting mold industry import and export trade, the import volume shows a year-on-year decline, indicating that China's die-casting mold industry is gradually moving toward maturity, while the export volume shows an increasing trend year by year while meeting domestic demand, it can also meet the demand for foreign exports, according to data show that in 2022, China's die-casting mold industry imports are 2066.4 tons. Imports amounted to $0.42 million, exports amounted to 15,134.45 tons, and exports amounted to $186 million. The top 10 export destinations are the United States, Mexico, India, Germany, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Russia and Morocco. Among them, the United States accounted for the most, accounting for 16.13%, followed by Mexico, accounting for 13.44%, and the top ten export places accounted for 69.73%.
Future development trend of China die casting mold industry
1. The growth of the automobile industry
With the continuous expansion of China's automobile market, the demand for die-casting molds in automobile manufacturing will continue to increase. The automotive industry's demand for lightweight materials, such as aluminum and magnesium alloys, will drive the die casting mold industry towards higher performance and lighter weight
2. The rise of the energy vehicle industry
With the popularity of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, the demand for new materials such as aluminum alloys will increase, which will further promote the development of the die casting mold industry.
3, the application of high-performance materials
China's die casting mold manufacturers will continue to develop and adopt high-performance materials to meet the needs of various industries. This includes the application of new technologies such as hot-end molds, superalloys, and ceramic coatings.
4. Digital manufacturing
Digital manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, will be widely used in the die casting mold industry. These technologies can improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and provide higher quality molds.
5, manufacturing intelligence
Smart manufacturing will be promoted in the die casting mold industry, including automated production lines, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance to improve production efficiency and reliability.