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RWTH Aachen University optimizes cold chamber die casting for more efficient 3D metal printing

The Chair of Digital Additive Production (DAP) at RWTH Aachen University is driving innovative improvements in cold chamber die casting with the HoTKaSt project. The aim of the project is to significantly reduce the use of resources and the associated CO2 emissions in the die casting process through a new filling chamber design and wear-resistant surfaces. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with more than 750,000 euros over two years.

Cold chamber die casting is widely used in industries such as the automotive industry, particularly for the production of lightweight aluminum components. However, the service life of the filling chamber and the piston in the horizontal die casting process suffers from process-related distortion and wear. This leads to production downtime, high resource consumption and increased reject rates, which represents a considerable challenge in view of stricter environmental regulations and cost pressure.

As part of HoTKaSt, the project team is developing a new filling chamber design that ensures homogeneous temperature distribution and minimizes distortion. The use of laser deposition welding (DED-LB/M) creates wear-resistant inner surfaces that extend the service life of the components.

A central element of the project is the creation of a uniform temperature distribution within the filling chamber in order to reduce mechanical stress and material fatigue. In addition, the new coating technology enables improved resistance to the high pressures and temperatures in the die casting process. These measures are intended to minimize the use of lubricants and thus further reduce the environmental impact.

The expected savings are considerable: by reducing scrap by eight percent, around 50,000 tons of aluminium and over 480,000 tons of CO2 could be saved each year. The HoTKaSt project therefore represents an important step towards more sustainable and efficient production processes in 3D metal printing. The results should not only help the die casting process, but also other areas of additive manufacturing.


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