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Custom Die Casting Services —
Aluminum, Zinc & Magnesium Parts
Thin walls. Complex geometry. Production-grade strength. High-pressure die casting produces metal parts that no other process can replicate at cost — and Great Light delivers it with the engineering rigour and quality transparency that global OEMs actually require. From first prototype casting to 100,000-unit production runs.
- Post-Machine Tolerance ±0.01mm
- Alloys Available Al / Zn / Mg
- Mold Shot Life 50K–1M+
- Years Experience 20+
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Upload CAD → DFM feedback + quote within 24 hours.
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STEP STP SLDPRT IPT PRT SAT IGES IGS CATPART X_T OBJ STL files
Free DFM Analysis — Porosity, Wall Thickness & Draft
Hot & Cold Chamber Capability In-House
CNC Post-Machining to ±0.01mm Available
CMM Inspection Report with Every Shipment
Prototypes to 100,000+ Parts
Die Casting Explained
Why High-Pressure Die Casting Is the Benchmark Process for Complex Metal Parts at Volume
Here is a question most engineers ask at the wrong point in a project: “Should I CNC machine this or die cast it?” The answer depends on two factors that override every other consideration — volume and geometry. If you need 500+ identical metal parts with thin walls, internal passages, or complex surfaces that would require multiple CNC setups to produce, die casting is almost certainly the more economical solution. For lower volumes or features requiring ±0.01mm tolerance, CNC machining remains the correct choice.
High-pressure die casting forces molten non-ferrous metal — aluminum, zinc, or magnesium — into a precision hardened steel die at pressures between 1,500 and 25,000 PSI. The metal solidifies within seconds, the die opens, and the finished casting is ejected. Cycle times of 15–120 seconds per part enable production rates that no other metal manufacturing process can match at equivalent part complexity. Thin walls down to 0.5mm are achievable. Internal cores produce hollow sections without secondary machining. And the high injection pressure ensures the die cavity is completely filled, producing dense castings with minimal porosity when the tooling and process parameters are properly engineered.
Think about it this way: The founding story behind Great Light’s die casting division: When we first started delivering precision prototypes, one question came up repeatedly: “Can you also help us with small-batch metal casting?” At the time, large casting factories weren’t interested in low-volume runs, and smaller workshops couldn’t meet our quality standards. After two years of systematic partner qualification and testing, we built relationships with precision medium-scale casting facilities that meet our standards. Today, we offer high-quality die casting as an integrated service — with the same engineering team, the same CMM inspection protocols, and the same NDA-protected communication channel as our CNC machining work.
Our die casting capability is structurally differentiated by one factor: in-house CNC post-machining. Most die casting suppliers deliver as-cast or shot-blasted parts and rely on the customer to arrange secondary machining. At Great Light, we hold both capabilities in-house — die casting for the near-net shape, CNC machining for critical bores, threaded features, and mating surfaces to ±0.01mm. One supplier, one NDA, one inspection report.
Die Casting Capabilities
🔩 Cold Chamber Die Casting (Aluminum)
For A380, ADC12, and A356 aluminum alloys. Molten metal ladled from external furnace into shot sleeve. Pressures 4,000–14,000 PSI. Thin walls to 0.8mm. Parts up to 50kg.
⚡ Hot Chamber Die Casting (Zinc / Magnesium)
Melting pot integrated into machine for Zamak and magnesium alloys. Faster cycle times (15–30 sec). Mold life 1M+ shots for zinc. Superior for fine-detail complex small parts.
🔬 Investment Casting (Steel / Brass / Bronze)
Lost-wax casting for ferrous metals and high-strength alloys not available in die casting. Complex near-net shapes with post-machining for critical features.
⚙️ CNC Post-Machining
In-house CNC machining of critical bores, threaded holes, mating surfaces, and precision features on die cast blanks — to ±0.01mm. No inter-vendor handoff required.
✨ Surface Finishing
Shot blasting, powder coating, anodizing (aluminum), chrome plating, e-coating, painting, and vibratory finishing — all in-house or through audited partner facilities.
MATERIAL SELECTION GUIDE
Aluminum, Zinc, or Magnesium —Which Die Casting Alloy Is Right for Your Part?
Alloy selection in die casting is not a preference — it is an engineering decision that affects strength, weight, surface finish, mold cost, and production economics. Here is the framework our engineers use on every new project:
🏆 MOST REQUESTED
Aluminum Die Casting
| Process | Cold Chamber |
| Common Alloys | A380, ADC12, A356 |
| Density | 2.7 g/cm³ |
| Tensile Strength | ~330 MPa (A380) |
| Min Wall Thickness | 0.8mm |
| Mold Shot Life | 50,000–150,000 |
| Anodizable | Yes |
Best for: automotive housings, heat sinks, electronics enclosures, structural brackets, motor housings, any application where lightweight strength and thermal conductivity are priorities.
🔬 Finest Detail
Zinc Die Casting
| Process | Hot Chamber |
| Common Alloys | Zamak 2, 3, 5, 7 |
| Density | 6.6 g/cm³ |
| Tensile Strength | ~283 MPa (Z3) |
| Min Wall Thickness | 0.4mm |
| Mold Shot Life | 1,000,000+ |
| Anodizable | Yes — decorative finish |
Best for: complex small parts requiring fine surface finish, decorative hardware, door handles, connector housings, precision gears — anywhere fine geometric detail and long mold life matter most.
⚡ Lightest Metal
Magnesium Die Casting
| Process | Cold or Cold Chamber |
| Common Alloys | AZ91D, AM60 |
| Density | 1.8 g/cm³ |
| Tensile Strength | ~230 MPa (AZ91D) |
| Min Wall Thickness | 0.6mm |
| Mold Shot Life | 100,000–300,000 |
| Anodizable | 33% lighter |
Best for: aerospace and automotive weight-critical components, laptop casings, camera bodies, handheld devices where structural rigidity combined with minimal weight is the primary design driver.
The Process
From CAD File to Inspected Die Cast Parts — 4 Engineered Stages
Every die casting defect is ultimately caused by a decision made before the first metal shot — in tooling design or process parameter setting. Our front-loaded DFM process eliminates the most common causes before they become expensive corrections.
1
DFM Analysis & Tooling Design
Engineers review parting lines, draft angles (min 1–3°), wall uniformity, gating, and cooling. DFM report + quote in 24 hrs. Mold design requires your approval before fabrication begins.
2
Alloy Melting & High-Pressure Injection
Alloy melt temperature controlled ±5°C. Injection at 1,500–25,000 PSI. Thin walls (0.5mm+) and complex cavities filled with minimal porosity.
3
Trimming, Finishing & CNC Post-Machining
Flash and runners removed by hydraulic press. Shot blast or vibratory finish. CNC post-machining for critical features to ±0.01mm — in-house, no inter-vendor delay.
4
CMM Inspection & Global Delivery
Full CMM dimensional inspection per batch. First article inspection report provided. Custom shockproof packaging. Global express delivery — US & EU in ~5 days.
Tolerances & Specifications
Die Casting Tolerances — What the Numbers Actually Mean for Your Application
“Tight tolerance die casting” means different things to different suppliers. Here is what Great Light delivers — and how we document it.
| PARAMETER | ALUMINUM (COLD CHAMBER) | ZINC (HOT CHAMBER) | MAGNESIUM | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Tolerance | ±0.1–0.3mm (ISO 8062) | ±0.05–0.15mm | ±0.1–0.2mm | General features; as-cast |
| Post-Machine Tolerance | ±0.01mm | ±0.01mm | ±0.01mm | CNC post-machining in-house |
| Min Wall Thickness | 0.8mm | 0.4mm | 0.6mm | Geometry-dependent |
| Injection Pressure | 4,000–14,000 PSI | 1,500–4,500 PSI | 4,000–10,000 PSI | Controls density & porosity |
| Surface Roughness (as-cast) | Ra 1.6–3.2μm | Ra 0.8–1.6μm | Ra 1.6–3.2μm | After shot blasting |
| Typical Mold Shot Life | 50,000–150,000 | 1,000,000+ | 100,000–300,000 | With proper maintenance |
| Minimum Order (prototype) | 50–100 pcs | 50–100 pcs | 50–100 pcs | Soft tooling for prototypes |
| Draft Angle (minimum) | 1–3° | 0.5–1° | 1–3° | Required for clean ejection |
Real Project Case Study
How a Medical Device OEM Used Aluminum Die Casting + CNC Post-Machining to Cut Part Cost by 58%
🔬 Case Study — Diagnostic Equipment Housing (Aluminum A380)
The Challenge
A medical device manufacturer was CNC machining aluminum housings from solid billet for a diagnostic instrument at $47 per part. At their then-current volume of 800 units per month, this represented $37,600/month in part cost alone. The design had 0.8mm wall sections and an internal cooling passage — features that required 5-axis CNC machining from billet and generated 68% material waste. They had rejected die casting quotes from two Chinese suppliers due to inadequate DFM capability and inability to machine critical bore features in-house.
Our Solution & Result
Great Light’s engineering team redesigned the housing for cold chamber aluminum A380 die casting — maintaining all functional geometry while adjusting draft angles, consolidating the internal passage into the die core, and identifying the critical bore and thread features that would require CNC post-machining. The die casting tooling cost $12,400 (amortized over 18 months at the client’s volume). Per-part cost: $19.80 — including CNC post-machining to ±0.02mm on all functional features. CMM first article inspection passed on the first T1 submission.
Alloy: Aluminum A380 Previous per-part cost: $47.00 (CNC from billet) New per-part cost: $19.80 (die cast + CNC post-machine)
Cost reduction: 58% per part Monthly savings: $21,760 at 800 units/month T1 First Article: Passed first submission
Your Die Casting Project Deserves Engineering Rigor — Not Just a Factory Quote
Upload your CAD design now. Our die casting engineers review for porosity risk, draft angles, wall thickness, and gating — and return a full DFM report with your quote within 24 hours.
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Complete Service Portfolio
Everything Your Die Casting Project Needs — One Supplier, One Standard
Aluminum Die Casting
Cold chamber high-pressure die casting for A380, ADC12, and A356 aluminum alloys. The most requested die casting service for automotive, electronics, and industrial applications requiring strong, lightweight, thermally conductive metal parts.
Pressure: 4,000–14,000 PSI
Min wall: 0.8mm | Mold life: 50K–150K shots
Zinc Die Casting
Hot chamber die casting for Zamak 2, 3, 5, and 7 zinc alloys. Superior for fine-detail complex small parts, decorative components, and connector housings where a 1M+ shot mold life dramatically reduces amortized tooling cost per part.
Min wall: 0.4mm | Mold life: 1M+ shots
Cycle time: 15–30 seconds
Magnesium Die Casting
Hot and cold chamber magnesium casting for AZ91D and AM60 alloys. Magnesium is 33% lighter than aluminum with comparable structural strength — the correct alloy for aerospace, automotive, and wearable consumer products where gram-level weight reduction has business value.
Density: 1.8 g/cm³ (lightest structural metal)
CNC Post-Machining
In-house CNC machining of critical features on die cast blanks — bores, threads, mating surfaces, and precision locating features — to ±0.01mm. Eliminates the inter-vendor handoff risk that most die casting buyers accept as an unavoidable cost.
Tolerance: ±0.01mm | Same facility as casting
Investment Casting
Lost-wax investment casting for ferrous metals — stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, and bronze — where die casting alloys don’t meet mechanical property requirements. Complex near-net-shape geometries with CNC post-machining for critical features.
Materials: steel, brass, bronze, stainless
Surface Finishing
Complete die cast finishing in-house: shot blasting, powder coating, anodizing (aluminum), decorative chrome plating, nickel plating, e-coating, painting, and vibratory tumble finishing. All finishing documented on the shipment inspection report.
15+ finish options | All in-house or audited partner
Why Use Glproto for Metal Casting
It might seem counterintuitive to choose a rapid prototyping firm for metal casting services, yet we deliver compelling advantages:
Client Feedback
What Procurement Engineers Say After Their First Die Casting Order
★★★★★
“Great Light’s combination of die casting and in-house CNC machining was exactly what we needed. Our housing requires three bored holes at ±0.015mm relative position — they held it across 2,000 production units with CMM data provided per batch. We have not found another supplier that manages both operations under one roof at this quality level.”
Robert Singh
Head of Engineering — Automotive Tier 2, UK
★★★★★
“The DFM review they provided caught a 0.6mm wall section in our aluminum housing that would have caused cold shut defects. The fix was a trivial design change — 15 minutes of CAD time — that saved us a mold modification we were later told would have cost $6,000. This is what engineering partnership actually looks like.”
Karen L.
Product Development Manager — USA
Product Development Manager — USA
★★★★★
“We switched from zinc to magnesium on their recommendation — the weight saving of 1.8g per housing was worth $0.40 in freight cost savings per device at our 50,000 units/year volume. That is $20,000 per year in logistics savings from a material conversation that took 20 minutes. Their engineering team genuinely understands the business impact of design decisions.”
Thomas W.
VP Operations — Consumer Electronics, Netherlands
Put your parts into production today.
What is Die Casting?
Die casting injects molten non-ferrous metals like aluminum or zinc into steel molds under high pressure for precise, complex parts with smooth finishes. Glproto’s hot/cold-chamber process uses CNC dies, melting, injection, cooling, and minimal post-machining. We deliver cost-saving, reliable prototypes to high-volume runs, boosting efficiency for automotive and electronics.
Our flexibility accommodates projects from prototyping to large batches.
FAQ
Die Casting Questions — Direct Answers from Our Engineering Team
No generic answers. These are the questions our die casting engineers address every day.
What is die casting and how does it work?
Die casting forces molten non-ferrous metal — aluminum, zinc, or magnesium — into a precision hardened steel die at 1,500 to 25,000 PSI. The metal solidifies within seconds, the die opens, and the finished casting is ejected. Cold chamber die casting is used for aluminum (melting point ~660°C), while hot chamber die casting integrates the melting pot into the machine for zinc and magnesium alloys. Die casting produces near-net-shape parts with thin walls (0.4–0.8mm+), complex internal geometry, and excellent surface finish at cycle times of 15–120 seconds — making it the benchmark high-volume metal manufacturing process for complex non-ferrous parts.
Which alloy should I choose — aluminum, zinc, or magnesium?
Aluminum (A380, ADC12): Best choice for structural components, heat dissipation, and any application where lightweight strength and thermal conductivity matter. Most cost-effective at volumes of 500–100,000+ parts. Zinc (Zamak 3, 5): Best for fine-detail complex small parts requiring decorative plating, connector housings, and applications where mold life (1M+ shots) drives per-part economics. Magnesium (AZ91D): Best when weight is a primary design constraint — 33% lighter than aluminum with comparable strength. Used in aerospace, automotive, and premium consumer electronics. Great Light’s engineering team provides alloy selection guidance at no charge with every DFM review.
What tolerances can die casting achieve?
Aluminum (A380, ADC12): Best choice for structural components, heat dissipation, and any application where lightweight strength and thermal conductivity matter. Most cost-effective at volumes of 500–100,000+ parts. Zinc (Zamak 3, 5): Best for fine-detail complex small parts requiring decorative plating, connector housings, and applications where mold life (1M+ shots) drives per-part economics. Magnesium (AZ91D): Best when weight is a primary design constraint — 33% lighter than aluminum with comparable strength. Used in aerospace, automotive, and premium consumer electronics. Great Light’s engineering team provides alloy selection guidance at no charge with every DFM review.
What is the minimum order quantity for die casting?
Great Light accommodates orders from approximately 50–100 units for initial prototyping (using gravity casting or soft tooling) to 100,000+ parts per year for sustained high-volume production. Die casting becomes economically superior to CNC machining for most geometries above 500 units per year. We model the break-even analysis explicitly in our quotes, so you can make the right process decision with full economic transparency.
What is the difference between hot and cold chamber die casting?
Hot chamber die casting integrates the melting pot directly into the machine — faster cycle times (15–30 seconds), suitable only for lower-melting-point alloys (zinc: ~385°C, magnesium: ~650°C). Cold chamber die casting requires molten metal to be ladled from an external furnace into the shot sleeve before each cycle — essential for aluminum (melting point ~660°C, which would corrode hot chamber components). Cold chamber is slightly slower but handles the full range of aluminum alloys and some magnesium grades. Great Light operates both hot and cold chamber equipment in-house.
Can you provide CNC machining after die casting?
Yes — and this is one of Great Light’s key structural differentiators. As a full-service manufacturer with both die casting and 50+ in-house CNC machining centers, we machine critical bores, threads, and mating surfaces directly on die cast blanks to ±0.01mm — all under one roof, one NDA, and one CMM inspection report. This eliminates the inter-vendor handoff risk that most die casting buyers accept as standard practice.
How long do die casting molds last?
Mold longevity depends on alloy: Zinc die casting molds (hot chamber, lower temperature) typically last 1,000,000+ shots. Aluminum die casting molds (cold chamber, higher temperature and abrasiveness) last 50,000–150,000 shots with proper maintenance. Magnesium molds: 100,000–300,000 shots. Great Light monitors tooling condition throughout production runs, scheduling preventive maintenance before wear affects dimensional consistency. Tooling condition reports are provided at agreed intervals on long-term production contracts.
How does die casting compare to CNC machining for metal parts?
Die casting is superior for: high-volume production (500+ parts/year), thin-walled complex geometries, internal passages formed by die cores, and near-net-shape parts with minimal material waste. CNC machining is superior for: low-volume prototypes (1–500 parts), very tight tolerances (±0.005mm), specific grain structure requirements, and materials not available as casting alloys. The optimal strategy for many high-volume applications combines both: die casting for the net shape, in-house CNC post-machining for critical features — exactly the integrated workflow Great Light provides.
Do you provide secondary finishing and post-machining services for die cast components?
Yes. Although die cast parts typically feature smooth surfaces, we offer comprehensive finishing. This includes CNC secondary machining (drilling, tapping, milling) for critical features, along with various surface finishing treatments such as powder coating, plating, and anodizing to enhance aesthetics and durability.
Precision Die Cast Metal Parts — Engineered Right Before the First Shot
Upload your metal part design now. Our die casting engineers review for porosity risk, draft angles, and process compatibility — and return a full DFM report with your quote within 24 hours. No generic factory quote. Real engineering.
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