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Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die

Article  in  International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology · January 2013

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2013.052293

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Int. J. Computer Applications in Technology, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2013 113

Computer aided design of gating system for a

die-casting die

Chandan Deep Singh*

Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University College of Engineering,
Punjabi University,
Patiala-147002, Punjab, India
E-mail: er.chandandeep@gmail.com
*Corresponding author

Jatinder Madan and Amrik Singh

Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Longowal, Sangrur – 148 106, Punjab, India
E-mail: jatinder.madan@gmail.com
E-mail: amriksinghhanspal@ymail.com

Abstract: Design of gating system of a die-casting die is a non-trivial task, which depends on a
number of parameters influenced by part design and die-casting alloy. Today, a lot of CAD/CAM
tools are used for design, development and manufacturing of die-casting dies. However, design of
a die-casting die and its gating system, still depend on a die-casting expert and require lot of time.
Present work is about computer-aided design of gating system for die-casting die. System
proposed in this paper takes CAD file of the die-casting part as input and uses process knowledge
to determine different parameters of the gating system. Design of various components of the
gating system, namely runner, gate and overflow is attempted. A feature library is proposed,
which together with parametric design, generates CAD model of the components of the gating
system. The system would be useful to bridge the gap between design-manufacturing integration
for die-casting.

Keywords: die-casting; die-design; CAD; feature-based; gating system.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Singh, C.D., Madan, J. and Singh, A. (2013)
‘Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die’, Int. J. Computer Applications in
Technology, Vol. 46, No. 2, pp.113–127.

Biographical notes: Chandan Deep Singh is working as an Assistant Professor at Department of

Mechanical Engineering, UCoE, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, where he is also pursuing
his PhD. He was awarded MTech in Manufacturing System Engineering (distinction) from
SLIET, Longowal, Punjab which is a deemed university, and BTech in Mechanical Engineering
(distinction) from GZS College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda, Punjab. His research
interests include TPM, production and industrial engineering, manufacturing competency,
die-casting, CAD/CAM, and designing and programming, automation.

Jatinder Madan is working as an Associate Professor at ME Department of SLIET. Presently, he

is pursuing his Postdoctoral Research at NIST, USA. His research interests include CAD/CAM,
DFMA, sustainable manufacturing, and design-manufacturing integration. He has many research
publications to his credit. He was awarded his PhD from IIT Delhi.

Amrik Singh is working as Associate Professor at ME Department of SLIET, Longowal, where,

he is also pursuing his doctoral research. He was awarded with ME and BE from University of
Roorkee, which is now named as IIT Roorkee. He has been working in the research areas of
manufacturing and supply chain management.

1 Introduction products, electronic equipment, optical and household

items. Design of a die-casting die is the first step for
Die-casting is the manufacturing process which is capable
manufacturing parts using this process. However, it has
of producing near net shape products. Parts made from
been seen that a lot of human expertise and knowledge is
die-casting are extensively used in automobiles, aerospace

Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

114 C.D. Singh et al.
involved for designing a die-casting die which makes the
activity very costly and prolonged. In addition to this, a lot
of iterations are involved before design of a die-casting die
is finalised.
In die-casting process, molten metal is forced into the
die cavity at pressures ranging from 0.7 MPa to 700 MPa
and finally ejected out after solidification of the metal
(Runner Design, 2011). The metal, typically a non-ferrous
alloy such as aluminium or zinc, is melted in the furnace
and then injected into the die in the die-casting machine.
The die-casting method is especially suited for applications
where large quantities of small-to-medium-sized parts are
needed with good detail, a fine surface quality, and
dimensional consistency. This level of versatility has placed
die-casting among the highest volume products made in the
metalworking industry
A die-casting die consists of two halves named as core
half and cavity half. Cavity half is the fixed one while core
half is movable. Injection of the metal is done using a gating
system which is provided in the cavity half of the die.
Nomenclature used in a die-casting die has been shown with
the help of Figure 1 while gating system and its components
have been shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1 Gating system nomenclatures (see online version
for colours)
Gate Overflow
Well
Biscuit
Runner
Cavity
Source: Casting Plant and Technology
(2008)
Designing the gating system is an iterative process that can
be very lingering and pricey (Lee and Woon, 2004). There
are a number of factors that must be considered while
designing and placing the gate and runner system in the
die-casting die permanently. These factors are influenced by
design of the part and the die-casting alloy.
Gating system of a die-casting die consists of gate,
runner, and overflow well, which are explained here.
Runners are channels where material flows from the sprue
to the cavities. The narrow and shallow portion of the
runner, as it enters the cavity, is called the gate and the
system of the two is called gate and runner system (Lee and
Woon, 2004).
Figure 2 Nomenclature of die-casting process (see online
version for colours)
Source: Zahi et al. (2009)
Overflow wells are part of the system and serve several
purposes; primary reason for them is that they act as heat
sinks. ‘Need and motivation of the present paper is
discussed next’.
1.1 Need and motivation of the proposed work
As discussed earlier, die-casting die design is a time
consuming and costly process involving a lot of human
effort. Although CAD systems are extensively used for
designing of a die-casting die but these systems rarely
provide the requisite knowledgebase for automated die
design. The die designer has to take decisions for selecting
various parameters for the design. So there is a need for a
system that can bring together the knowledge and
experience of the die-casting expert. Present procedure of
gating system design suggests a gap in design-
manufacturing integration of die-casting. Therefore, to
achieve the objectives of design-manufacturing integration
of die-casting, this gap must be filled. Automation of
parting line determination and side core design has been
significantly explored in the past, but little efforts have been
made on the automated design of gating system for
die-casting die.
Present research is motivated by the fact that a system is
required to automate the process of gating system design.
This would be a major step for automation of die design
activity for die-casting and would bridge the gap between
design manufacturing and integration for die cavity. Rest of
this paper is arranged in following sections.
Review of the past research in the area of gating systems
of die-casting and the related techniques is examined in
Section 2. Section 3 describes automatic determination of
gating system parameters using knowledge of die-casting
process. Information about the die-casting part is extracted
from its CAD file. Design of feature library of gating
system for die-casting die is discussed in Section 4.
Automated generation of gating system CAD file for a
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die 115

die-casting die is discussed in Section 5, while results for ‘computation tree logic’ (CTL). The goal is to check the
the system have been discussed in Section 6. Lastly, agent’s reactivity after any environment’s evolution. Several
conclusions of the present study and future scope of work complex networks can implement the system such that each
are discussed in Section 7. one is executed at a given time when a corresponding
reconfiguration scenario is automatically applied by the
agent. To check the correctness of each one of them, we
2 Review of related literature apply in several steps a refinement-based approach that
automatically specifies feasible control components
In this section, literature review is presented on topics
according to NCES. The model checker SESA is
related to gating system design for die-casting. Systems for
automatically applied in each step to verify deadlock
computer-aided design for other manufacturing processes
properties of new generated components, and is manually
have been reported (Zhou et al., 2009; Pehlivan et al.,
used to verify CTL-based properties according to user
2009), but not much work has been done for die-casting die
requirements. We implement the proposed agent by three
design, especially for computer-aided design of gating
modules that allow interpretations of environment’s
systems. Some of the literature related to plastic injection
evolutions, decisions of useful reconfiguration scenarios
moulding design was also studied because of similarities of
before their real applications.
the process to die-casting. Research gaps are presented at
Lee et al. (2002a) presented a semi-automated
the end of literature review.
die-casting die design system. It described a prototype
This paper presents a knowledge-based system to
system structured by several functional modules as specific
enhance creative conceptual design (Abdalla and Salah,
add-on applications on a commercial CAD system for
2011). Market globalisation and technology advances
die-casting die design. These modules are: data
require fast adaptation to customer needs by being creative
initialisation, cavity layout, gating system and die base.
and competent. Current practices in design constituted the
However, user experience was required at various stages of
basis for the developed creative design tools (CDTs) system
the die design process.
architecture. The developed system provides users with and
Lee and Lin (2006) illustrated the process of optimising
integrated and flexible creative design environment to
the multi-cavity injection mould parameters through
enhance their creative conceptual thinking. Such design
network approach. Finite element simulation was performed
environment requires the integration of many components
on different runner and gating systems with different
namely: design process, creative tools and design
volumes, gate diameters, runner diameters and cavities an
knowledge within a highly collaborative interactive human-
inputs. Limited numbers of cavity designs were taken for
computer interface. The CDT system was implemented as a
study. Only circular gate and runners were taken into
web application, which was integrated with various creative
account. Placement of the gating system was not taken into
methods.
account. Also, the issues of non-identical cavities were
Choi et al. (2002) developed a die design system for the
addressed.
die-casting process which was an attempt to automate die
Shehata and Abd-Elhamid (2005) presented a die-design
design. Generation process and die design system using 3D
computer programme, which can be can be used to estimate
geometry handlings were integrated with the technology of
the die overall dimensions including sizes of sprue, runners
process planning. However, the optimisation of the gate
and in-gates. The system can be used to select casting
runner system was not considered in this research.
machine characteristics along-with preparing design of a
Kwong (2001) made an attempt to develop a case-based
die. However, a feature library is not included and CAD
system for process design (CBSPD) of injection moulding,
models of gating system cannot be generated.
which aims to derive a process solution for injection
Ferreira et al. (2007) developed a methodology for
moulding quickly and easily without relying on the
advanced die-casting manufacturing using a hot-chamber
experienced moulding personnel, but such effort is missing
process. This methodology involves virtual prototyping,
in case of die-casting.
rapid prototyping, P-Q2 analysis and a numerical control
This paper deals with reconfigurable embedded control
(NC) connected to transducers to control in real-time the
systems following component-based technologies and/or
die-casting manufacturing parameters. This approach
architecture description languages (ADL) (Mohamed and
optimises the die-casting manufacturing technology
Olfa, 2011). A control component is defined as a software
parameters reducing the lead-time of die-casting designs,
unit of the system which is assumed to be a network of
but design of a gating system was not addressed.
components with precedence constraints. We define an
Lee et al. (2007) aimed at developing a design system
agent-based architecture to handle automatic
that helped to realise automatic generation of the gating
reconfigurations under well-defined conditions by creating,
system’s geometries by applying parametric design.
deleting or updating components to dynamically bring the
Parameterised solid models of gating elements are
whole system into safe and optimal behaviours. To cover all
pre-constructed and stored in the system database. User
reconfiguration forms, we model the agent by nested state
experience is required at various stages of this system.
machines according to the formalism net condition/event
Also, system application is limited to parts with simple
systems (NCES), and apply a model checking to verify
shapes.
properties of NCES according to the temporal logic
116 C.D. Singh et al.
Lee and Woon (2004) presented a method of gating
system design for die-casting. The parametric models of the
gating system were created. The system reduces the need of
designing the gating system from scratch for a part as the
pre-constructed gating system can be modified. System
application is limited to parts with simple shapes. The
database of the gating system needs to be enlarged.
Lin (2002) employed FEM and neutral network
techniques to find the accurate location of injection gate for
a die-casting. FEM software was used to analyse the effect
of various gate locations on the warping of the casting. The
system reduces the reliance on human skill to find the
location of the injection gate. The optimisation of the gate
runner system was however not considered.
Tai and Lin (1998) proposed a runner optimisation
design study. In the die-casting test stage, the runner part is
generally corrected, which leads to increased processing
time and cost. To overcome this, several experiments were
carried out in this study. For a runner part, different insert
runner blocks were made and a die-casting test was
designed.
Reddy et al. (1994) reported the development of a
software package for providing intelligent assistance in
several tasks involved in the design of die-casting dies.
These typically include material selection, parting line
location, die layout, gating system, etc. Algorithms have
been developed for addition of shrinkage allowance and
automatic generation of parting line based on maximum
projected area, section thickness. System application is
limited to parts with simple shapes.
Sulaiman and Keen (1997) performed flow analysis
along the runner gate system for a pressure die using a
programme written in FORTRAN. The analysis was
performed to find out the pressure needed during injection
of the metal and to note the effect of branch angle of runner
gate system. The results were good and define some relation
between the branch angle and the die pressure. The system
was limited to the simulation of the gating system.
Khai (2003) presented a research work of a
computer-aided die design system for die-casting. The
proposed system consisted of eight modules, through these
modules; die designers were able to create a complete
die-casting die from a product part model. The aim of this
research was four-fold:
1 integrating different stages of die design process
2 facilitating the editing and customising of die-casting
die design during or after the design process
3 semi-automates several die-casting die design process
4 increasing standardisation.
However, the feature library in this was insufficient. The
calculation of parameters of gates, runners and overflow
was also user dependent.
The layout of temperature control systems for moulds is
decisive for the performance and stability of the production
process (Biermann et al., 2011). A design and optimisation
approach for temperature control systems is introduced,
coping with geometric constraints and complex thermal
dependencies and allowing a significant reduction of
manufacturing costs. Five-axis milling processes are
increasingly used for the production of moulds in order to
achieve high surface qualities and low manufacturing times.
The CAM-programming required for the milling of free-
formed surfaces in this field is complex and error-prone. An
approach is shown, which automatically generates five-axis
NC-paths from existing error-free three-axis paths.
Zahi et al. (2009) proposed a non-dominated sorting
algorithm using runner and moulding conditions as design
parameters for gate-runner for injection moulding design.
So a weighted sum approach was employed to select the
suitable design parameters. The choice of the weighted
functions is left to the designer.
2.1 Literature gaps
After going through the literature survey, some of the
identified research gaps are mentioned below:
• Issue of automated determination of gating system
parameters has not been addressed.
• Feature library of gating systems needs to be enriched.
• Automated generation of CAD model of elements of
the gating system has not been attempted
2.2 Objectives of the present study
After considering the research gaps, we identified that there
is a need to develop a system for computer-aided design of
gating system for die-casting die. The objectives of the
proposed system are listed below:
• Automated determinations of gating system parameters
from CAD file of the part.
• Design of feature library for gate, runner and overflow
well.
• Automated generation of CAD model of elements of
gating system for a given part.
3 Determination of gating system parameters
from CAD file of the part
The process for the determination of gating system
parameters is discussed in this section. The system
presented in this paper helps die-casting engineer to
determine gating system parameters using die-casting
process knowledge. It takes CAD file of the part as input.
Die-casting knowledge is in terms of various empirical
relations and rules used by the industry. Parameters of the
gating system are determined using a systematic approach.
The procedure that is followed in the present research
constitutes following steps.
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die 117

3.1 Selection of die-casting machine from part CAD
model
Product model of the die-casting part is first prepared using
CAD software, which carries the geometric and topological
information of the part. Information about characteristics of
the part can be extracted and stored as a text file. The
system reads the data from this data file. Based on the
values of mass, volume and area, a die-casting machine is
selected. The machine parameters, that are stored in the
machine data base, have been used to calculate gating
system parameters. Figure 3 shows the flowchart for the
selection of machine for die-casting process, while Table 1
shows the machine database for various die-casting
machines included in the present work. This database of
machines can be edited or appended as per the
requirements.
Figure 3 Flow chart for die-casting machine selection
CAD part
file
Select Die-casting
machine machine
database
gating system parameters. Parameters of the gating system
are gate velocity, gate depth and gate area. The gate design
involves selection of type of gate and calculation of gate
parameters. The gate selection is done by the user based on
his experience. The gate models have been stored in the
system, in the form of user defined features, and are
retrieved as and when required by the user after execution
of the programme. These gate features are based on
parametric design; therefore with change in one parameter
of gate, all other parameters get changed. In the present
system, gate area is kept constant and gate thickness is taken
as the basis of design. From the part model data and process
parameters, gate thickness is calculated and we get the
customised gate for each part. Runner is designed on the
basis of the gate for that part. Thereafter, calculations
pertaining to runner design are, made and consequently the
selection of the type of runner is done. Gate design plays a
pivotal role in adjusting the dimensions of runner.
Parametric design of runner helps in designing process.
Overflow design is based on the design of the gate for the
part. Based on gate design, the overflow design calculations
are made and type of overflow is selected. The dimensions
of overflow are adjusted according to gate design and
parametric design of overflow helps in designing process.
Figure 4 Information flow diagram for determination of gating
system parameters

User inputs
gate width
no Is part mass in
the range of Material
machine? database
Select gate depth and
gate velocity
yes
Knowledge
base
no Is part mass in Determine gate area
the range of
machine?

Determine flow rate

yes

Determine working
no Is part cross- pressure
section area in
the range of
machine? No
Is working
Machine
yes pressure <= max. database
machine pressure
Selected machine
Yes
Process parameters of die-casting process which are used
for gating system parameter generation are flow rate, Determine gating
working pressure and filling time. These parameters along system parameters
with part details play an important role in calculation of
118 C.D. Singh et al.

Table 1 Die-casting machine database

M/c ID
JF-DC-H15D JF-DF-H30D JF-DF-H60D JF-DF-H120D
Property
Clamping force (TONS) 15 30 60 120
Number of cycles (DRY) (cycle/min) 30 24 18 14
2
Standard plunger tip dia. (cm ) 28 38 50 60
Injection pressure (kg/cm2) 321 237 320 291
Casting area (cm2) 40 120 185 410
Casting weight (mg) 200–370 530–920 1,100–1,590 1,980–2,700
Injection position (mm) 0–40 0–50 0–60 0–80
Die stroke (mm) 125 180 220 260
Ejecting force (ton) 1.3 2.7 4.5 8.2
Ejecting stroke (mm) 35 50 70 90
Tie bar distance (mm) 200 × 260 300 × 340 360 × 420 420 × 500
Melting furnace capacity (kg) 140 260 400 600
Unit pressure (kg/cm2) 70 70 90 105
Air pressure (kg/cm2) 5–7 5–7 5–72 5–7
Motor changeable (hp) 5 7.5 15 20
Source: Standard (2011)

The determination of gating system parameters, which values of gate velocity for different materials are given in
include gates, runners and overflow well is described in this Table 3.
section. Following steps are followed for determination of Gate area is calculated by using gate depth and gate
gating system parameters. Figure 4 shows the information width. Gate area can be found by multiplying gate depth
flow diagram for determination of gating system with gate width. Determination of gate area helps in
parameters. determination of flow rate and working pressure.
For flow rate calculation we need gate area and gate
3.2 Determination of gate design parameters velocity, which are multiplied and it is represented in terms
of m3/s.
Firstly, the gate width depends on geometry of the Calculation of working pressure as working pressure,
die-casting part. The gate width is taken approximately
equal to the longest side of part. Figure 5 shows the fill p1 = density × Q12 / Cd × Ag
pattern. Secondly, gate depth is selected from the
where
die-casting knowledge base using material database. A
representative database of gate depth is given in Table 2. Cd is the discharge coefficient and it lies between 0.7–0.8
(Goodwin, 2004)
Table 2 Gate depth values for different materials
Ag is gate area in m2
Material Values (m)
Q1 is the flow rate in m3/s.
Aluminium 50% of wall thickness
Working pressure is compared with the maximum pressure
Zinc 0.0003–0.0005
of the machine so as to know whether the process is going
Source: Anderson (2005) on right track or not. If working pressure is less than the
maximum pressure, then it is correct, otherwise the gate
Table 3 Gate velocity values for different metals velocity and gate depth are changed. Working pressure is
Material Value (m/s2) directly proportional to the square of flow rate (Q1).
Therefore, with increase in flow, the pressure increases and
Aluminium 25.908–39.624 with decrease in flow rate, the pressure decreases. Also,
Magnesium 45.72–60.96 pressure is inversely proportional to gate area, i.e., higher
Zinc 51.816–60.96 the area, lower the pressure. The working pressure
calculated here is compared with the maximum pressure of
Source: Anderson (2005)
the machine, selected in earlier stage.
Gate velocity is entered by the user by using the material Calculation of shot volume, as (Boothroyd et al., 2004)
database, since the material database provides knowledge
about the range of gate velocity for different materials. The Vs = Vc (1 + 2h)
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die
where
Vc is cavity volume in m 3 Overflow width, Bo = Ao / Lo
H is part thickness, measured in m.
Filling time depends on shot volume and flow rate and is
calculated as,
t f = Vs / Q1
where
Vs is shot volume in m3
After, the working pressure and machine have been
finalised; filling time is to be calculated. Unlike pressure,
the filling time varies inversely with the flow rate, i.e., with
increase in flow rate, the filing time decreases and
vice-versa.
After finalising the process parameters, the gating
system parameters are to be calculated by the system.
Figure 5 Fill pattern (see online version for colours)
Source: Runner Design (2011)
Gate parameters are determined based on width to depth
ratio entered by the user, which lies between 0.3–0.5. Using
this ratio and gate area, other dimensions are calculated. The
formulae used for determining gating system parameters are
given below.
Gate thickness, D2 = ( Ag / r1 )
Gate depth, W2 = r1 × D2
r1 is width to depth ratio, entered by the user.
Determination of gate parameters is followed by the
determination of runner parameters as runner area is
calculated from the gate area. Its dimensions are determined
by using the runner area by using the following relations.
Runner area, AT = 1.20 × Ag
Runner dia., DT = ( 4 × AT / 3.14 )
Lastly, the overflow parameters are calculated from the gate
area by using the following relations.
119
Overflow area, Ao = 0.20 × Ag
Overflow volume, Vo = 0.8 × Ve / h1.25
H1 = 0.35 × H o
Lo is overflow length measured in m
H1 is height of portion to be inserted measured in m
Ho is total overflow height measured in m.
4 Design of feature library of gates, runners and
overflow well
The design of feature library for gate, runner and overflow
well has been discussed in this section. This module of the
proposed system depends upon the parameters of gate,
runner and overflow well, which are generated by the
system. In the past, use of feature library was explored by
Krishnamachary and Eswara Reddy (2005) to develop a
fixture design system, but no such effort has been made in
case of gating system design for die-casting. The
mechanical analysis of the component which has been
carried out in this paper will suggest the clamping details.
Generation of parameters of gate, runner and overflow
well has already been discussed in Section 3. The following
paragraphs discuss the methodology adopted for design of a
feature library.
4.1 Gates
Gate is the link between the part and runner system. It is
normally a restricted area that facilitates separation of
runner from the part. The size, shape and placement of gate
can significantly mould a product. The key feature of the
gate is to allow for easy, potentially automatic, separation of
the part from the runner system, while allowing for filling
and packing of the part. Gate models are prepared by taking
into consideration the functionality of the gate.
A fan gate is a wide-edged gate with variable thickness.
It permits rapid filling of large parts or fragile mould
sections through a large entry area. It is used to create a
uniform flow front into wide parts. A chisel gate is a cross
between a tunnel gate and a fan gate. Like a tunnel gate, the
chisel gate tunnels into the part and is torn, or sheared, off
during ejection. Instead of having a circular cross-section,
however, the chisel gate has a flat profile. To eliminate an
undercut, the chisel gate is the widest where it attaches to
runner. It then tapers with a decreasing width and thickness
as it tunnels towards the cavity wall. Common edge gates
are the most basic type of gate. They are normally
rectangular in cross-section and attach to the part, along its
perimeter, at the parting line of the mould. They are used
when automatic de-gating is impractical or undesirable. An
edge gate would be preferable in multi-cavity mould where
parts are to be positioned for automated post moulding
assembly. Sprue gating refers to the cases where there is no
traditional runner system or conventional gate. It is different
120 C.D. Singh et al.

from any other type of gate because the part is gated directly • A runner system is much larger than a gate, and
from the sprue, since the sprue feeds material directly into therefore less sensitive to thermal effects.
the cavity rapidly with minimum pressure drop. Sprue gates
• They have a fully developed and stable flow pattern.
are used with single cavity moulds and provide for the melt
to be delivered to the centre of the cavity. This is ideal for • Runners are easier to machine accurately (Shoemaker,
many cylindrical or symmetrical shaped parts. The sprue 2006).
gate is tapered to facilitate ejection with moulded part
The circular runner is the best in terms of maximum volume
(Beaumont, 2007).
to surface ratio, which minimises pressure drop and heat
Table 4 Different types of gates loss. However, the tooling cost is generally higher because
both halves of the mould must be machined so that the two
Gate Design semi-circular sections are aligned when the mould is closed.
Fan gate It is quite similar to circular runner as it forms one half of it.
Moreover, circular runner is formed by combining two
D1 semi-circular runners.
The trapezoidal runner also works well and permits the
W1 L runner to be designed and cut on one side of the mould. It is
Chisel gate commonly used in three-plate moulds, where the full-round
runner may not be released properly, and at the parting line
D1 in moulds, where the full-round runner interferes with the
L
mould sliding action. This cross-section is a combination of
W1 round and trapezoidal shapes. The bottom of the runner is
Paddle gate fully round and extends to the parting line at the included
D1 angle of the trapezoid (Shoemaker, 2006).
The hexagonal runner is basically a double trapezoidal
runner, where the two halves of the trapezium meet at the
L
W1 parting surface. The cross-sectional area of this runner type
Edge gate is about 82% of that of the corresponding round runner.
Naturally, if similar cross-sectional areas are required, then
D1 the value for diameter must be increased accordingly. Some
toolmakers feel that it is easier to match the two halves of
the hexagonal runner than matching of two halves of
L
circular runner. The square runner is not a very satisfactory
W1
option because it is difficult to eject. In practice, because of
Sprue gate this, an angle of 10° is provided on the runner wall thus,
D2
modifying the square runner to the trapezoidal section (Pye,
2000).
D1 The criterion of efficient runner design is that the runner
L
should provide a maximum cross-sectional area from the
standpoint of pressure transfer and a minimum contact on
Source: Khai (2003) and Beaumont (2007) periphery from the standpoint of heat transfer. The ratio of
cross-sectional area to periphery wall, therefore, give a
Parametric design helps in designing the relations between
direct indication of the efficiency of the runner design; the
the parameters of the gate. Based on empirical formulae
higher the value, the greater the efficiency (Pye, 2000).
used in die-casting, parametric design of different gate types
The perfect cross-section for a runner is the circle since
are prepared which are saved as user defined features in
it offers the most thermal efficiency. However, since the
proE.
runner is formed by the two die halves; it is more
economical to machine it into one half and then the other
4.2 Runners half merely forms a flat side when the die closes (Anderson,
As a runner is of uniform cross-section, so the number of 2005).
runner design parameters are few. Runner cross-section is
calculated on the basis of gate parameters. The runner is 4.3 Overflow well
immediately downstream from the source of the casting
Overflows are part of the system and serve several
alloy and serves as a conduit between metal supply at the
purposes. The primary reason for them is that they act as
biscuit for the cold chamber process or the nozzle for the
heat sinks and are normally located adjacent to the last
hot chamber process. Runner systems are very good flow
location in the cavity to receive metal, which is the coldest
control devices because:
in the system and where the incidence for a cold shut defect
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die 121

is strong. Figure 6 shows the overflow well (Anderson, 5 Automated generation of gating system
2005).
In this section, the procedure of automatically generating
CAD models of the gating system is discussed. Gating
Table 5 Different types of runners system parameters depend upon the process type, machine
parameters and process parameters.
Runner Design The first step is to select the process type which is either
cold chamber or hot chamber. The selection of process is
Circular based on the material of the part. Cold chamber process is
runner (Khai, Lr
2003)
used if material of the part is aluminium and hot chamber is
used if material of the part is zinc or magnesium. The
system reads material properties of the part and data from
Dr part file stored in the database. The second step is to select
the machine on the basis of geometrical and mass properties
of part. The geometrical and mass properties like cavity
Semi circular Lr area, cavity volume and mass are retrieved from the
Dr
runner (Khai, database. Automated selection of machine takes place based
2003) on cavity area, cavity volume and casting weight.
Lr
Figure 7 Algorithm of computer-aided design of gating system
Trapezoidal Lr for a die-casting die
runner (Khai,
2003) Part CAD file

Modified Machine Machine

Lr selection
trapezoidal database
runner
(Shoemaker,
2006) Determination of Material
process parameters database

Dr
No
Square runner Lr
(Shoemaker, Is working
2006) pressure <= max.
machine pressure
Dr

Yes

Hexagonal Lr Runner Gate Overflow

runner parameters parameters parameters
(Shoemaker,
2006)
Dr User-defined
features in ProE

Geometric model of
Figure 6 Overflow well gating system

Lo
Next, after machine selection, the process parameters are
H1
calculated. This computation of process parameters forms a
crucial step in the whole process, since it acts as a check
point. The process parameters are pressure, flow rate and
Ho filling time. Pressure varies with the flow rate and flow rate,
further, depends on gate area and gate velocity. Thus, the
gate velocity is the main aspect and gets selected here.
Bo Then, the pressure is calculated, which is the working
Source: Khai (2003) pressure. Later, it is compared with the maximum machine
pressure to check the progress of the process, whether it is
122 C.D. Singh et al.

in the right direction or not. If working pressure is more models of the different components of the gating system are
than the machine pressure, an error is generated. The presented in Figure 10. After comparing the system results
process continues only if the machine pressure is more or with that of actual results, it was found that the system
equal. This is how this computation acts as a checkpoint. results vary up to 5% from the actual ones.
After the pressure has been finalised, the filling time is
calculated. After finalising the process parameters, the gate Table 7 Data sheet of the die-casting machine selected for
parameters are calculated based on these process clutch lever
parameters. Gate is considered to be of constant Machine ID
cross-sectional area. While calculating process parameters, JF-DC-H15D (G.E)
Properties
the gate area was required. There, it was calculated
depending on the part data. On the basis of the computed Clamping force 15 tons
gate area, other gate parameters are calculated. Then, the Number of cycles (DRY) 30 cycle/min.
runner and overflow parameters are calculated based on the Standard plunger tip diameter 28 cm2
gate parameters as it is known that some parameters like Injection pressure 321 kg/cm2
runner and overflow vary directly with gate area. From
Casting area 40 cm2
there the other required dimensions are calculated.
Lastly, the calculated parameters are saved in a text file. Casting weight 200–370 mg
This text file is exported to the designing software as Injection position 0–40 mm
designs are prepared in a separate platform and are saved as Die stroke 125 mm
user defined features. Thus, as and when required, the Ejecting force 1.3 tons
parameters are exported based on the selection of type of
Ejecting stroke 35 mm
gate, runner and overflow; and the dimensions of the
selected design are changed accordingly. Figure 7 shows the Tie bar distance 200 × 260 mm
algorithm for the proposed system as has been discussed in Melting furnace capacity (w) 140 kgs
this section. Unit pressure 70 kg/cm2
Air pressure 5–7 kg/cm2
Motor (changeable) 5 HP
6 System implementation and results
A system for computer aided design of gating system for Table 8 Gating system parameters comparison for clutch
die-casting die has been developed using MATLAB 7.0. To lever
make this system user friendly, a guided user interface
Parameter Values
(GUI) has been prepared. The proposed methodology has Parameter in design generated by
Actual
been tested on a number of parts. Results from the system, values (m)
platform system (m)
when implemented on two example parts for computer
Gate (chisel gate)
aided design of gating system for die-casting die is
discussed in this section. W1 d1 3.3866e-001 3.549e-001
D1 d2 7.5e-004 7.75e-004
6.1 Clutch lever – case study 1 L d4 2.54e-003 2.56e-003
W2 d5 9.428587e-003 9.84e-003
Example part 1 is a clutch lever of motorcycle which has
been shown in the Figure 8. The CAD model has been D2 d7 2.693882e-002 2.80e-002
prepared Using ProE software. The material of this part is Tunner (circular runner)
aluminium. Lr d0 2.54e-002 2.65e-002
Dr d1 1.970463e-002 2.05e-002
Table 6 Input data for clutch lever
Overflow well
Property Value
Ho d0 3.5e-0004 3.60e-004
Cavity volume 0.000154 m3
Bo d1 1.435e-001 1.49e-001
Cavity area 0.004402 m2
Lo d2 1.77e-004 1.83e-004
Mass 0.68868 Kg
H1 d5 1.00e-003 1.04e-003
The extracted data from the CAD model of this part is
presented in Table 6. The system selects the machine on the 6.2 Tap handle – case study 2
basis of this data. The parameters of the die-casting machine
selected by the system are given in the Table 7. The Example part 2 is a tap handle which is shown in the
proposed system calculates the gate parameters based on the Figure 11. The CAD model of this part was prepared with
data of part and the machine. Table 8 shows the actual and ProE software and its material is zinc. The data extracted
system generated parameters for gating system, while CAD from the CAD model is presented in Table 9. The system
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die 123

selects the machine on the basis of this data. The parameters
of the die-casting machine selected by the system are given
in the Table 10. The system calculates the gate parameters
based on the data of part and the machine. Figure 12 shows
GUI settings for this case study, while CAD models of the
components of the gating system for this part are presented
in Figure 13. Table 11 shows the actual and system
generated parameters for gating system. After comparing
the system results with that of actual results, it was found
that the system results vary by 5% from the actual ones.

Figure 8 Clutch lever design, (a) 3D model (b) wireframe model (see online version for colours)

(a) (b)

Figure 9 System GUI for clutch lever (see online version for colours)

Figure 10 Gating system generated by the system for clutch, (a) chisel gate (b) circular runner (c) overflow well (d) gating system
(wireframe model) (e) gating system (3D model) (see online version for colours)

Lr

D1

L Dr
W1

(a) (b)
124 C.D. Singh et al.

Figure 10 Gating system generated by the system for clutch, (a) chisel gate (b) circular runner (c) overflow well (d) gating system
(wireframe model) (e) gating system (3D model) (continued) (see online version for colours)

Chisel
Bo gate

H1 Clutch
Circular
runner
Ho

 
Lo
(c) (d)

(e)

Figure 11 Tap handle, (a) 3D model (b) wireframe model (see online version for colours)

(a)

(b)
 Computer aided design of gating system for a die-casting die 125

Figure 12 System GUI for tap handle (see online version for colours)

Figure 13 Gating system for tap handle, (a) overflow well Figure 13 Gating system for tap handle, (a) overflow well
(b) semi-circular runner (c) fan gate (d) gating system (b) semi-circular runner (c) fan gate (d) gating system
wireframe model (e) 3D model (see online version wireframe model (e) 3D model (continued)
for colours) (see online version for colours)
 
Tap handle  
Bo Fan gate

Semi-circular
H1 runner
Ho

Lo

(a)
(d)
Lr

Dr

(b)

D1 (e)
Table 9 Input data for tap handle
L
W1 Property Value
Cavity volume 0.0005 m3
(c)
Cavity area 0.027 m2
Mass 118.072 kg
126 C.D. Singh et al.

Table 10 Data sheet of the machine selected for tap handle library for gate, runner and overflow designs. The system
helps a die-casting engineer in reducing time and efforts as
Machine ID
JF-DF-H60D (G.) there is no need to design the gating system for a part from
Properties
scratch. The system has been tested on a number of
Clamping force 60 tons industrial parts and results found are quite encouraging.
Number of cycles (DRY) 18 cycle/min. The system would go a long way in bridging the gap
Standard plunger tip diameter 50 cm2 between design and manufacturing of die-casting.
Injection pressure 320 kg/cm2
The present work has overcome the short comings of the
previous systems but there are certain limitations that could
Casting area 185 cm2
be addressed in the future. The future scope for this work is
Casting weight 1,100–1,590 mg appended below.
Injection position 0–60 mm
• Gate location and placement is another area that could
Die stroke 220 mm
be explored.
Ejecting force 4.5 tons
Ejecting stroke 70 mm • System could be modified to incorporate parts with
Tie bar distance 360 × 420 mm
complex geometrical features.
Melting furnace capacity (w) 400 kg • Data base for machine, material and process could be
Unit pressure 90 kg/cm2 enhanced.
Air pressure 5–7 kg/cm2
• Feature library for gating system could be enhanced.
Motor (changeable) 15 HP
• Gating design for multiple cavity die could be included.
Table 11 Gating system parameters comparison for tap handle
• Verification of the designed gating system can be
Parameter Values carried out by including process simulation into the
Actual system.
Parameter in design generated by
values (m)
platform system (m)
Some of the recent work (Biermann et al., 2011; Abdalla
Gate (fan gate)
and Salah, 2011; Mohamed and Olfa, 2011) can be
W1 d1 7.2e-002 7.45e-002 used along with present research work to achieve
D1 d2 3.6e-004 3.75e-004 design-manufacturing integration for die-casting.
L d4 9.29e-003 9.60e-003
W2 d5 2.54e-003 2.60e-003
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