Aluminum die casting is done by injecting molten aluminum into a mold made of a series of cast iron dies. When these dies are new, the fit is great and there is little or no aluminum that escapes from the joints. As the dies wear, ore and more aluminum escapes and forms thin pieces of aluminum on the outer edges of the piece known as “flashing”. These flashings are removed by various methods; vibratory finishing and shot blasting are the most common. But standard SAE steel shot is hard and will texture the surface of the aluminum part, and will often damage important cast-in logos, part numbers and machining reference points. Sometimes, shot blasting is not considered acceptable because it is too aggressive. But shot blasting with NU-SOFT Shot is much less damaging to the parts and will leave these important markings undamaged.
- Industry/Application: Aluminum component manufacturing
- Challenge: Traditional blasting damaged logos and reference points
- NU-SOFT Solution: Used softer shot for gentle surface treatment
- Benefits: Clean finish without damage to part details
- Media Used: NU-SOFT Shot
