Die Castings
Die castings covers UK die casters producing high-pressure and gravity die cast parts in aluminium, zinc (Zamak) and magnesium alloys. Buyers use die casting where fine detail, thin walls, tight repeatability and high volumes justify the tooling investment - typical parts include housings, brackets, heat sinks, gearbox cases, lighting bodies and consumer product enclosures.
UK die castings suppliers
Die castings covers UK die casters producing high-pressure and gravity die cast parts in aluminium, zinc (Zamak) and magnesium alloys. Buyers use die casting where fine detail, thin walls, tight repeatability and high volumes justify the tooling investment - typical parts include housings, brackets, heat sinks, gearbox cases, lighting bodies and consumer product enclosures.
- You need thousands to millions of parts per year with tight dimensional repeatability
- You need thin walls, cast-in features and near-net-shape parts that minimise machining
- You need thermal or EMI performance from an aluminium or zinc enclosure
- You are moving from CNC-machined billet parts to a cast-and-machine flow to reduce unit cost
- ISO 9001 as a baseline, IATF 16949 for automotive suppliers
- Machine tonnages that match your part size (typically 200 to 1,600 tonne for aluminium HPDC)
- In-house tool design and toolroom for tool trials, corrections and lifetime maintenance
- Downstream capability: trimming, CNC machining, vibro-finishing, shot blast, powder coat, anodising and leak testing
- PPAP or ISIR documentation, capability studies (Cpk) and first-article inspection reports
Common questions about Die Castings
Aluminium HPDC tools typically cost from £15k for a simple single-cavity insert up to £120k+ for large multi-cavity production tools. Tool build usually takes 10 to 16 weeks, with first-off samples 2 to 3 weeks after tool trial.
Aluminium (LM24, EN AC-46000, ADC12) is the default for structural and thermal parts. Zinc (Zamak 3 or 5) is preferred for smaller, high-detail parts, decorative components and where cast threads or fine features matter.
Below around 1,000 parts per year, gravity die casting or a bridge tool is usually more economical than HPDC. Many UK die casters offer both routes and will recommend the cheaper option for the volume.