Crack Defect Reduction in Die Casting Process of Aluminium Alloy Motorcycle Crankcases

W. M. Wan Muhamad1, M. M. Salleh2, J. Mohamad3, A. F. Azmi4

AbstractIn a world of intense and global competition, a company must, among other things, avoid wastages and reworks. A research study was performed in a local automotive component manufacturer that produces aluminium alloy motorcycle crankcases for local and global markets. The rejection rate at that time was 6.7%. The main objective is to reduce crack defects in the crankcase die casting process and therefore satisfying the above-said goal of staying lean. The research team employed planning and analysis tools such as Plan-Do-Check-Action Cycle (PDCA), Gantt Chart, Loss Matrix Analysis (LMA), Ishikawa Diagram and 4M method, and Why-Why Analysis. The results showed that crack defects in the castings products in the die casting process can be reduced by adjusting the temperature in holding furnace and improving the die design structure. After implementation of the countermeasures into the manufacturing procedures, the rejection rate dropped to 0.97% and the company realized a saving of approximately RM100K per year.

2006 to September 2006). During that period, the total reject number was 948. The objective of the study is to reduce the defect occurrences in the aluminium die cast motorcycle crankcases. Reduction of defects will make the company more profitable because loss of valuable resources will be reduced. The solutions will then be incorporated in the standard operating procedure so that defects are reduced or avoided in future production. II. BACKGROUND A. Die Casting Technology Die casting is an efficient, economical process offering a broader range of shapes and components than any other manufacturing technique. Advantages of die casting process and parts are: High-speed production: Little or no machining is required and thousands of identical castings can be produced before additional tooling is required. Dimensional accuracy and stability: Die casting produces parts that are durable and dimensionally stable, while maintaining close tolerances. Strength and weight: Thin wall castings are stronger and lighter than those possible with other casting methods. Plus, because die castings do not consist of separate parts welded or fastened together, the strength is that of the alloy rather than the joining process. Multiple finishing techniques: Die cast parts can be produced with smooth or textured surfaces and they are easily plated or finished with a minimum of surface preparation. Simplified assembly: Die castings provide integral fastening elements, such as bosses and studs. Holes can be cored and made to tap drill sizes, or external threads can be cast. B. Die Casting Process The basic die casting process consists of injecting molten metal under high pressure into a steel mould called a die. Die casting machines are typically rated in clamping capacity in term of tonne equal to the amount of pressure they can exert on the die. Machine sizes range from 400 to 4000 tonne. Regardless of their size, the only fundamental difference in die casting machines is the method used to inject molten metal into a die. The two methods are hot chamber and cold chamber.

I. INTRODUCTION New technologies, cost pressures, and trends have all had a significant impact on the manufacturing industries. This is particularly true in automotive component market segment, which requires various sizes, complex, tight-tolerance, high performance, and low cost products. The precision of automotive part is characterized by their small and big size, robust features, tight and close tolerance, thin wall sections, and complex design. The use of automotive products is expected to escalate because of their promise of decreasing cost and improved efficiency. As a result, the demand for aluminium die casting processing services and equipments is expected to grow. However, part rejects are a major concern for any automotive part manufacturers. A research study was undertaken in one local automotive component manufacturer which produces automotive aluminium die cast motorcycle crankcases intended for local and global markets. A team was set up to solve defect problems based on a study of rejects for five months (May

W.M. Wan Muhamad (corresponding author; phone: +603-2175-4195; fax: +603-2175-4441; e-mail: drwmansor@iprom.unikl.edu.my) is with Institute of Product Design and Manufacturing, Universiti K. Lumpur, K. Lumpur, Malaysia 2 M.M. Salleh is with Institute of Product Design and Manufacturing, Universiti K. Lumpur, K. Lumpur, Malaysia 3 J. Mohamad is with Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Kuantan, Malaysia 4 A.F. Azmi is with Institute of Product Design and Manufacturing, Universiti K. Lumpur, K. Lumpur, Malaysia

Hot chamber machines are used primarily for zinc, copper, magnesium, lead and other low melting point alloys that do not readily attack and erode metal pots, cylinders and plungers. Cold chamber machines are used for alloys such as aluminium and other alloys with high melting points. The molten metal is poured into a "cold chamber," or cylindrical sleeve, manually by a hand ladle or by an automatic ladle. A hydraulically operated plunger seals the cold chamber port and forces metal into the locked die at high pressures. [1] Dies, or die casting tooling, are made of alloy tool steels in at least two sections, the fixed die half, or cover half, and the ejector die half, to permit removal of castings. Modern dies also may have moveable slides, cores or other sections to produce holes, threads and other desired shapes in the casting. Sprue holes in the fixed die half allow molten metal to enter the die and fill the cavity. The ejector half usually contains the runners (passageways) and gates (inlets) that route molten metal to the cavity. Dies also include locking pins to secure the two halves, ejector pins to help remove the cast part, and openings for coolant and lubricant. When the die casting machine closes, the two die halves are locked and held together by the machines hydraulic pressure. The surface where the ejector and fixed halves of the die meet and lock is referred to as the "die parting line." The total projected surface area of the part being cast, measured at the die parting line, and the pressure required of the machine to inject metal into the die cavity governs the clamping force of the machine. C. Die Casting Process Factors 1) Die Spray Die spray is one of the most important parts in die casting process. There are various types of die sprays and lubricants mixes. The role of die spray is common to all requirements; die spray function to cool the die, adds a thin layer of lubricant to the die so that the ejectors do not seize and the part can be ejected. The spray also protects the die from molten metal attack as well as enabling the molten metal to flow better [2]. The die cooled by internal cooling lines has lower temperature swings both on the surface of the die and within the die than the die cooled by spray only. Provided the cooling is designed correctly this will lead to lower stresses and hence a longer die life for the internal cooled die. 2) The Flow Control Control of the metal flow in the die cavity is a key factor in producing sound die castings. Metal must flow rapidly and uniformly into the die, minimizing sharp direction changes, turbulence, and entrapped air. The placement of the gates will also impact the surface finish of the final part. When gates are trimmed off, the trim operation can leave surface roughness. For the best surface finish, gates should be placed on low visibility surfaces [2]. A key feature in die design is the positioning of the runners and gates, the passages that feed molten metal into the die cavity. Well-designed gates are

positioned to permit rapid flow into the thicker sections of the die cavity and to provide smooth flow paths that minimize turbulence in the molten metal. 3) Thermal Management Thermal management of the tooling and dies is a critical production factor in quality die casting process. If die faces overheat during a casting run, "heat checking" can occur. Heat checking is the formation of very fine surface cracks on the die faces, which will transfer to the die cast as raised veins on the surface. The die casting engineer has to consider the thermal loads that occur in production (in terms of the thermal mass and the cycle rate) and ensure that the die faces do not overheat. Die casting process uses active thermal control to manage die face temperature during the production run. The die blocks have cooling channels in which temperaturecontrolled oil circulates to keep die faces at the desired temperature [3]. This ensures complete fill and rapid solidification while preventing heat checking and die cracking. D. The Aluminium Die Castings and Crack Defects Aluminium, zinc and copper alloys are the materials predominantly used in die-casting. On the other hand, pure aluminium is rarely cast due to high shrinkage, and susceptibility to hot cracking. It is alloyed with silicon, which increases melt fluidity and reduces machinability needs. Copper is another alloying element, which increases hardness, reduces ductility, and reduces corrosion resistance. Aluminium is cast at a temperature of 650 C (1200 F). A high silicon alloy is used in cylinder castings for automotive engines, with 17% silicon for high wear resistance. Cracks are often found between valve seats, in exhaust ports, between the spark plug hole and valve seats, around valve guides, between combustion chambers, and even on top of the head. The blame is often placed on thinner castings and higher castings injection loads, but in many instances the underlying cause was overheating due to cooling system failure in holding furnace or some other user (or builder) error such as incorrect installation of the die casting dies. Cracks typically form when a crankcase undergoes too much thermal stress [4]. Loss of coolant - severe overheating as well as sudden changes in operating temperature from hot to cold - can all create the conditions that can cause cracks to form. Aluminium expands at nearly twice the rate of cast iron, which creates a mismatch in expansion rates on bimetal engines with aluminium heads and cast iron blocks. While the heads are designed to handle a certain amount of normal expansion, elevated operating temperatures can push a part beyond those design limits, causing the metal to deform [5]. This, in turn, may cause cracks to form as the metal cools and contracts. Though many cracks may be clearly seen once parts have been disassembled and cleaned, other cracks are nearly invisible or

may only be seen under special conditions (such as porosity leaks in heads and blocks). Other cracks may be entirely hidden, such as those inside a casting. [6] E. Motorcycle Crankcase Rejects A motorcycle left crankcase transmissions, as shown in Figure 1, is a useful efficient part in the engine operating system which delivers a constant speed on the road. In the company investigated, the rejection of this part was very high from May 2006 to September 2006 with the total of 6.7% (948 parts). In May the percentage is 4.9% follow by June and August the result decrease to 3.7% and 4.9%. By July 2006 the percentage increased to 6.2% and continues in September 2006 (6.7%). Because of this matter, the firm has developed a team to clarify and countermeasure the problem. [2]

FURNACE:

INGOT

MELTING
DIECASTING:

DEGASSING

POUR TO THE HOLDING FURNACE

INSTALL STEEL BUSH

INJECT THE MOLTEN TO THE DIE CAVITY

REMOVE THE RUNNER & BISCUIT

FORM THE PART

CHECK BY OPERATOR

PROBLEM

Fig. 2. Process flow and detection of crack problem after casting process B. The Plan, Do, Check, Action Cycle (PDCA) and Gantt Chart PDCA cycle was made popular by W. Edwards Deming. PDCA should be repeatedly implemented, as quickly as possible, in upward spirals that converge on the ultimate goal, each cycle closer than the previous. Over time and with better knowledge and skills, PDCA will help define the ideal goal and ways to achieve it. PDCA approach will also help the construction of Gantt Chart. C. The Loss Matrix Analysis (LMA) LMA techniques can be used to measure and identify the part including the area of problem in standard specification [7].In essence; LMA involves selecting a representative, simple, random sample from a measurement and analysing the data to make a decision about the performance of the process as a whole. The remaining of LMA process have a 4 stages where 1st phase describes type of part being reject, 2nd phase clarifies the type of defects , 3rd phases identifies the location of the crack and 4th phase gives detail area or location of crack convergent. This technique will use the data collected from May 2006 to September 2006. D. Ishikawa Diagram and 4M Method [8] Ishikawa is a graphic tool used to explore and display opinion about sources of variation in a process. (Also called a Causeand-Effect or Fishbone Diagram.) Its purpose is to arrive at a few key sources that contributes most significantly to the problem being examined. These sources are then targeted for improvement. The diagram also illustrates the relationships among the wide variety of possible contributors to the effect. Most Ishikawa diagrams have a box at the right hand side in which is written the effect that is to be examined. The main body of the diagram is a horizontal line from which stems the general causes, represented as "bones". These are drawn towards the left hand side of the paper and are each labelled with the causes to be investigated, often brainstormed beforehand and based on the major causes listed above. Off each of the large bones there may be smaller bones highlighting more specific aspects of a certain cause, and

Fig. 1. The Crankcase Left Kick Transmission

III. METHODOLOGY To achieve the objective the research team utilized planning and analysis tools such as Plan-Do-Check-Action Cycle (PDCA), Gantt Chart, Loss Matrix Analysis (LMA), Ishikawa Diagram and 4M method, and Why-Why Analysis. A. Data Collection for Rejected Parts (May 2006 December 2006) The data collection has been done by the team with help and supervision by Quality Assurance Department. There are several part numbers involved. However, crankcase transmission has the highest rejection rate after casting. After performing studies and researches, the team found that cracking was the biggest problem. Figure 2 shows the process flow and detection of crack problem after casting process. Therefore, the team must have a contingency plan to overcome the crack defects problem. [3]

sometimes there may be a third level of bones or more. These can be found using the '5 Whys' technique. When the most probable causes have been identified, they are written in the box along with the original effect. The more populated bones generally outline more influential factors, with the opposite applies to bones with fewer "branches". Further analysis of the diagram can be achieved with a Pareto chart. The Figure 3 below shows an Ishikawa diagram as a result of brainstorming activity.
Method Machine
Inconsistent Run
Miss Process Wrong sequence

at any time. This supports the non-linear way in which we tend to think. It allows you to consciously not to follow some paths, digging only into the most likely areas [2]. In this stage, verification of root cause is very important to create a countermeasure to the crack defects problem. The main root cause was no control valve at die to maintain the die temperature. The next cause was no radius at moving fixed half part in die cavity and this produces a flow and heat transfer problem. The last root cause was the broken thermo couple affected the temperature of aluminium in the holding furnace. Thus we can get to the root cause by using why-why analysis [2]. Using this technique, a continuous improvement can be achieved by relating the entire previous problem in Ishikawa Diagram. During the analysis, the teams achieved one solution to solve the problem. Aluminium material can flow through high temperature by making a radius at the corner of highest area of crack. Without adjustment, the concentration of heat transfer can cause weak point to emerge at sharp area. After the modification with a radius of 3mm, better flow of heat transfer occurred. A temperature controller is required to maintain consistent cooling. The function of this controller is to maintain the aluminium temperature in holding furnace and also during filling into cavity [2].

Die Spray
Miss Position

Many Profile

Part Design

Part
Temp. Too High

Cooling System
Not Effective Temp. Too High

lazy

Aluminium
Flow Not Smooth

Die Cleaning Not Enough Warm Up

Material Temp. Too

High

Man
Die Not Effective

New operator

Fig. 3. The Ishikawa Diagram E. WHY-WHY Analysis One of the most important questions in quality is Why?. From Kaoru Ishikawas early usage of cause-effect diagrams in the early 1940s and use of Five Whys in the early 1950s as many developed their famous systems, the drive to find root causes of problems has been the secret of many quality success stories [9].

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter describes the results obtained after adjustment to the die with radius 3mm and installation of temperature controllers at die casting machines. The results obtained from the casting data part rejection from July until December 2006, will be analyzed and compared. The previous results are also shown for comparison to show the improvement. Two countermeasure plans have been done to solve crack defects problem. A. Countermeasure 1 - Make a 3mm Radius In this stage, the team needed to countermeasure a flow problem during injection of molten aluminium into cavity. The work order was sent to die maintenance section to modify the cavity. The area that caused crack defects was machined using air grinder to produce a radius of 3mm. The previous edges were sharp, causing inconsistent flow in the heat transfer in the die. Therefore after implementing the modification, better results have been achieved and produced a smooth flow of molten aluminium during filling in the die. The heat has dissipated or released. B. Countermeasure 2 Installation of Temperature Controller With respect to heat problem in the holding furnace, the installation of temperature controller has reduced the number of rejection parts. The installation of the controller will help in

Fig. 4. The Why-why Analysis Referring to Figure 4, Why-Why analysis works by repeatedly asking the same question of a problem, breaking down the cause or solution into more and more explicit elements [10]. At each stage, there can be multiple answers to the Why questions, which results in a hierarchical tree-structure. Making this tree visible gives several advantages: It allows a group of people to share the mental model of the situation and hence work more harmoniously on it. It allows re-examination of parts of the analysis, so one can change, remove or add to it

maintaining the holding furnace and the molten aluminium temperature during filling into the die cavity. It also maintained the die temperature and produced a consistent part after castings.

process can be reduced by adjusting the temperature in holding furnace and improving the die design structure. After introduction of the solutions, the rejection rate dropped to 0.97% and the company realized a saving of approximately RM100K per year. One of the main issues that an automotive manufacturer are always concern with, is in producing high quality parts that can last long. The main elements associated with this requirement can be simplified as; methods of product design and manufacturing process, tolerance setting, and measurements taking place in automotive production processes. Product design is a critical element as it will affect the die casting process such as gating and runner system in die cavity. In other words, in order to produce designed products, die casting process itself plays a critical role in determining whether the quality products can be produced or not. Die casting process integrates die tool, cavity, ejector core pin, and other elements which are critical in production of good quality castings product. Hence, the selection of tools, both core and die design must be taken into account as they are primary factors in die casting process to produce quality products. This is the critical stage where profound information is needed in doing so. Therefore, the implementation of concurrent engineering in design and manufacturing stage is really crucial. Further works are required to investigate the concurrent engineering capabilities in die casting process. It is hoped that further study in this area will further improve the design and manufacturing processes to achieve lesser percentage of rejects and reworks and therefore bring in cost savings to the company.

Fig. 5. The Trend Show Percentage of Crack Problem against Good Parts Figure 5 above shows the results after the introduction of the above countermeasures. There was a decreasing percentage number for crack defect problem from September 2006 until December 2006. The parts have the lowest rate of rejection of 0.97%. C. Cost Savings In manufacturing, reduction of rejected parts equals cost savings on reworks. Table 1 shows the total of cost saving that would be experienced by the company. For an annual volume of 60,000 pieces, the potential savings was 5,958 pieces or RM 100,367.00. Table 1. Show the Potential savings after the evaluation and countermeasure Crack Defects Problem

REFERENCES
[1] Buhler, Die Casting Machine Setting and Application Handbook, Buhler GmBH, 1999. [2] E.A. Herman, Gating Die castings Die 1st Edition, Nadca Publications, 1996. [3] Buhler, Advanced Casting Machine Setting and Application Handbook, 2nd Edition, Buhler GmBH, 1999. [4] K Don Lakeland, 4th Asian Foundry Congress Proceedings, Australian Foundry Institute, 1996. [5] E. Paul DeGarmo, Material and Process in Manufacturing, 7th Edition, Mac Millan, Publishing Company, 1998. [6] H. Hoist Bauer and Robert Bosch, Automotive Handbook, 5th Edition, SAE Society of Automotive Engineer, 2000. [7] R.L. Timings, Manufacturing Technology, 2nd Edition, Longman Group UK Limited, Volume 1& 2, 1992. [8] Company document, 5S-MUDA-MURA-MURI Workshop handbook, 2004. [9] Ferrous Material & Metallurgy, Casting Aluminium Material, JIS Handbook, 2000. [10] Company document, 5S-MUDA-MURA-MURI Workshop Handbook, 2004.

V. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER WORKS The main goal of reducing crack defects in the crankcase die casting process has been accomplished. The methods employed proved useful to find out the cause and effects in crack problem using collected data. The results showed that crack defects in the castings products in the die castings