Lubricant Solutions for the Unique Challenges of Squeeze Casting

Squeeze casting is a process developed for making castings with very low porosity^† and high structural integrity. The key differences between squeeze casting^† and high-pressure die casting^† are in the gate^† design, injection velocities and intensification^† pressures. Since a lot of the gas porosity^† is caused by the turbulence created when the molten metal is sprayed into the die cavity^† through a narrow gate, squeeze casting utilizes wider gates and the metal enters in a laminar or plug flow regime. This reduces the entrainment of air into the molten metal, thus minimizing porosity. The higher intensification pressures at the end of the stroke ensure that shrinkage is also minimized. Find out how our die lubricants can improve your die casting operations.

In squeeze casting, the lower gate velocities result in longer filling times. They can also lead to premature solidification, which can result in a poorly filled cavity. Therefore, the primary focus of squeeze casting lubricants is to promote complete filling of the cavity. This requires that the lubricant film have a more insulating nature than those used for conventional high-pressure die casting. Filled lubricants are commonly used for this purpose. Chem-Trend has developed a complete range of filled die lubricants that are able to regulate the heat transfer to ensure complete and homogeneous filling of the castings.

A natural consequence of the use of filled die lubricants is the incidence of overspray^† build-up. Squeeze casting applications will typically show more overspray than conventional dies from high-pressure die casting largely due to the inorganic constituents in the products. Chem-Trend’s formulation experience has resulted in the evolution of products that are easy to clean from dies with minimal downtime.

Due to the extreme concern about porosity in squeeze casting applications, special attention has to be paid to plunger lubricants used for these applications. Chem-Trend’s water-based slurries with non-graphite lubricants have also had good success for these applications. To find out how we can help advance your squeeze casting process, read our Plunger Lubricants page.