Metal Quality — The Effects on Die Casters and End Users

As more and more magnesium metal is used and recycled, particularly for safety-sensitive components, the maintenance of metal cleanliness remains of critical importance. The term metal quality may be defined as 1) chemical composition 2) inclusions and porosity inside the metal, 3) the surface appearance and 4) consistency. This definition may apply to both ingots and cast parts. Chemical composition of ingots will influence on the cast parts, but also process operation at the die casters' will contribute to the chemical composition of the final product. The inclusion contents of a cast component is only indirectly determined from the cleanliness of the ingots from where it origins, emphasising the need for metal cleanliness assessment in the die casting shop. Beside the die casting process itself, the ingot surface appearance and the housekeeping in the die casting furnaces are important for the property of the product. This affects the economy of the die caster operation due to loss of metal and up-time.