Excellence is Expected

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Excellence is Expected
Learn how we're creating intricate aluminum, magnesium and zinc die casting components by pushing the boundaries of design and production.
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85 Years of Experience
CWM can meet your most challenging requirements, whether it’s an existing die casting design or a conversion from another die casting production process.
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Turnkey Solutions
We offer Aluminum, Magnesium, and Zinc die castings for a wide array of industries including Medical, Automotive, Global Positioning, and Consumer Recreational.
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More than Die Casting
We offer a complete die casting solution that includes cast, machined, finished, coated, and assembled die castings, optimized for your application.
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Aluminum Die Castings

Aluminum is often the best value due to a good mix of mechanical & physical properties, and economical finishes.

Magnesium Die Castings

Magnesium offers the best strength-to-weight ratio of any metal and is ideal for parts that need to be light weight.

Zinc Die Castings

Zinc provides higher precision and longer tool life, and can be cast via conventional or faster cycling 4-slide machines.

Chicago White Metal is a full service High Pressure Die Casting company that specializes in delivering Aluminum, Magnesium, and Zinc alloy castings and associated services.

WHO WE ARE

More About Chicago White Metal Casting

As a custom die casting supplier, we understand that the success of your project requires a partner with the technology and expertise to provide innovative, high-quality results.

Regardless of die casting quantityalloy, or finish, we can lower your unit costs.

With over 85 years of experience, Chicago White Metal can meet your most challenging requirements, whether it’s an existing die casting design or a conversion from another process  – such as sand casting, injection molding, stampings, and machined parts.

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THE CWM DIFFERENCE

We offer a complete die casting solution that includes turnkey cast, machined, finished, coated, and assembled die castings that are optimized for your application.

We assist in die casting design and use high-end technology to make sure your custom die casting project is given the best possible price matched by the best possible quality. As a leading die casting supplier, it’s our goal to offer the best solutions for your project.

Our motto, “Excellence is Expected,” is reflected in everything we do… and that’s only the beginning of our story.

Full-Service Capabilities

From custom die cast parts–to machining–to finishing–to assembly, CWM offers a complete range of services related to custom die casting.

Design Center

CWM created a comprehensive Design Center to aid you when designing for die casting, whether it is for aluminum, magnesium, or zinc alloys.

Environmental Practices

We pride ourselves on being an environmentally responsible die casting company - our practices began long before cultural demands for sustainability arose.

OUR BLOG

Stay up to date with the latest CWM and Industry News

OUR BLOG

Stay up to date with the latest CWM and Industry News

Frequently Asked Questions

Die castings offer many of the qualities of gravity-cast parts: the rigidity, look and feel of solid metal; excellent strength characteristics; sound-damping properties; inherent EMI shielding for electronic applications; part serviceability; and, as with all castings, they are 100% recyclable. Unique to the advanced die casting process, die castings can be rapidly and consistently produced to close tolerances, often eliminating all machining. Sand castings require a new sand mold with each casting or gate of castings. The permanent mold gravity process uses iron or steel molds but is far slower and less precise than die casting. High-tech die casting can produce the highest quality surface finishes at the lowest part cost, and offers the best overall value provided there is enough volume to justify the higher tooling cost.

Die casting is a custom manufacturing process that produces engineered metal parts by injecting molten metal under very high pressure into reusable molds, called “dies,” made from premium tool steel. The dies can be designed to cast very complex shapes and sharply defined product features with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability, often with no post-casting machining required to meet part specifications. Smooth surfaces can be produced as-cast, as well as various textured surfaces. Die castings are suitable for a range of cosmetic finishes to match other mated parts or add extra durability in use. High-pressure die casting, is capable of producing net, or near-net-shape castings of high integrity and dimensional precision— at very high cycle speeds. A complete die-casting cycle can vary from less than one second for small components weighing less than an ounce to no more than a minute or two for a casting of several pounds. The process’s advantages make die casting the most efficient technology available for producing a wide range of commercial, industrial, and consumer products in durable, rigid metal. Chicago White Metal produces die castings from Aluminum, Magnesium, and Zinc alloys.

High-pressure casting and high-pressure die casting are terms used in Europe and other countries outside of the U.S. for what is referred to in the U.S. simply as the die casting process. The terms low-pressure die casting and gravity die casting are terms used outside the U.S. for what in the U.S. is called low-pressure permanent mold and gravity permanent mold casting. Although they each use metal dies, because of the lower pressures involved, they are restricted to heavier section parts, resulting in higher costs because of the less efficient use of the alloys and the longer cycle time.

Squeeze casting is a specialized high-pressure casting process that, through the use of very large gates and hydraulic pressure, can cast liquid metal with a minimum of turbulence or gas entrapment. The result is a porosity-free, heat-treatable component with thick walls capable of surviving the critical functional testing essential for structural automotive parts. Production costs will be higher than conventional high-pressure die casting, but squeeze-cast parts have replaced permanent mold, forgings, and iron castings in high-strength applications. Most production to date has been made with aluminum alloys. CWM does not offer squeeze casting, and the number of casters utilizing squeeze-casting machines is relatively limited.

This semi-solid metal casting process (SSM) uses a special cast billet, which is then cut into heated slugs and introduced into the shot chamber of specialized casting machines. The uniform, globular semi-solid microstructure of the heated slugs provides flow characteristics capable of filling the casting die under high pressure: gas entrapment is substantially eliminated, and solidification shrinkage is reduced. Early qualification of parts for structural automotive applications has been successful. The process can cast thinner walls than squeeze casting and has proven suitable for use with aluminum and magnesium alloys. However, production costs are higher than for conventional high-pressure die castings. CWM does not offer semi-solid metal casting, and the number of casters utilizing the SSM casting process still needs to be increased.

Thixomolding uses chipped metal that is fed into a heated barrel and utilizes a screw to turn the chips into a semi-solid material that is then injected into the die. The added cost of the chipped material and the increased cost of machinery, including frequent maintenance and replacement of the screw, typically result in higher-cost for parts that can often be produced just as effectively via CWM’s conventional high-pressure die casting technology. CWM does not offer Thixomolding, and the number of producers utilizing Thixomolding machines is still limited.

Who We Work With:

We have a wide customer base and we service many industries. For each client, our experienced team helps plan, produce, and create turnkey die cast solutions. Each client we work with has unique business challenges and goals, and Chicago White Metal Casting, Inc. has the experience necessary to meet or exceed all of them.

No matter the size or scope of your project, we remain committed to our motto “Excellence is Expected.”

Who We Work With:

We have a wide customer base and we service many industries. For each client, our experienced team helps plan, produce, and create turnkey die cast solutions. Each client we work with has unique business challenges and goals, and Chicago White Metal Casting, Inc. has the experience necessary to meet and conquer all of them.

No matter the size or scope of your project, we remain committed to our motto “Excellence is Expected.”