Die cast quick check
Die casting DFM quick check: nominal wall, wall variation, fillets, outside and inside draft, and deep pocket risk, checked against common NADCA guidance for aluminum.
Die cast quick check
A first pass at the questions a die caster will ask about your part. Walls, fillets, and draft, checked against common NADCA guidance.
- ✓Nominal wall 0.1" is in the normal range for aluminum die casting.
- ?Thinnest wall is 10% under nominal. NADCA guidance is to hold walls within about 10%. Thin spots misrun and cold shut.
- ?Thickest wall is 40% over nominal. Heavy sections shrink, sink, and hold porosity. Core them out.
- ✓Fillet 0.06" meets the typical 0.060" general fillet.
- ✓Inside draft 2° vs outside 1° follows the 2:1 guideline.
- ?A 1.5" deep pocket with a 0.1" wall is a deep, thin-steel feature. Add draft, add radius, or split it so the die steel between walls stays strong.
Rules of thumb, not equations. Walls held within about 10% of nominal. General fillet 0.060 in, 0.030 in minimum. Inside draft about twice the outside draft because the casting shrinks onto the core. A pocket deeper than about 12x the wall is thin die steel that needs more draft and radius.
Source: NADCA product design guidance for aluminum die castings. Your caster's own standards win.
General guidance for aluminum die castings. Zinc and magnesium allow thinner walls. The caster's own tables and a real DFM review win over this every time.
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