Die Casting Engineer Magazine Article Excerpt
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Mar/Apr 1995 Issue
John Wallace
Improvement of Die Life in Aluminum Die Casting
Dr. David Schwam and Professor John Wallace
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Die Surface Treatments Section
The use of the die surface modification known as the MetaLL ifeÒ treatment - also extends die life, because it replaces the residual tensile stresses that develop on the die surface with compressive stresses. The die is processed initially and then periodically (every 10,000 to 20,000 die cycles), thereafter.
Thermal stress relieving the used die at 50 degrees F under the highest tempering temperature also is used. Studies using the thermal fatigue immersion specimen have demonstrated that MetaLL ifeÒ and thermal stress relieving have reduced thermal fatigue cracking. The effective use of these methods is to apply
these procedures during the life of the die. The die is removed from service periodically processed to reduce the tension residual stress at the surface and returned to use.
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