The global demand for environment conservation and green initiatives among consumers has enabled many manufacturers to utilize eco friendly manufacturing processes and sustainable product choices. This is a positive sign of the increasing importance of sustainable development among manufacturers and product developers worldwide.
Among the many methods of manufacturing used today in industries, die casting has remained the most efficient and ecologically sustainable process out there. Its eco friendly nature is determined by the fact that some of the highest quality materials in die casting have good recyclable properties.
The die casting process strictly follows the three R’s of environmental conservation: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. By sticking to these three basic tenets, the die casting process remains an effective and reliable option for a wide range of industrial applications.
Let us examine how the die casting process effectively follows the three R’s and ensure total sustainability in the manufacturing process.
Reduce
Die casting differs from other metal casting methods, as it uses a die for the process. For many other metal casting methods, a sand mold is utilized that can only be used once. This consumes as up to 7 percent of all the energy of the entire process. Yet in die-casting, the dies are usable about 100,000 times or more before replacement.
This reduces the overall energy consumed to a much high level, thereby producing the least carbon footprint than all the other manufacturing methods.
Reuse
Reusability is another sustainable feature of the die casting process. As the die can be used until the end of its lifespan, it is never discarded or recycled. Instead, the dies are retooled to by shipping directly to specialty mills.
This retooling of the dies enables it to hold many different and larger products. There is also the ability to fully recast the dies, which is a highly useful feature. The need for minimal processing in direct recasting aids in reducing the carbon footprint and minimal use of raw materials.
Recycling
Recyclability is the other major advantage of the die casting process. Most of the materials employed in die casting can be easily recycled. The most commonly used metal in die casting is Aluminum, which is easily recyclable and is very energy efficient and cost effective as well.
The Aluminum die extrusion, a recycling method used that requires no melting unlike many other methods, is different from others in that it produces better yields of material with minimal energy input. This high recyclability of die cast Aluminum also aids in reducing active mining.