Abstract: Silicon-based aluminum casting alloys are known to be one of the most widely used alloy systems mainly due to their superior casting characteristics and unique combination of mechanical and physical properties. However, manufacturing of thin-walled aluminum die-casting components, less than 1.0 mm in thickness, is generally known to be very difficult task to achieve aluminum casting alloys with high fluidity. Therefore, in this study, the optimal die-casting conditions for producing 297 mm×210 mm×0.7 mm thin-walled aluminum component was examined experimentally by using 2 different gating systems, tangential and split type, and vent design. Furthermore, computational solidification simulation was also conducted. The results showed that split type gating system was preferable gating design than tangential type gating system at the point of view of soundness of casting and distortion generated after solidification. It was also found that proper vent design was one of the most important factors for producing thin-wall casting components because it was important for the fulfillment of the thin-wall cavity and the minimization of the casting distortion.

Key words: Aluminum, Thin-wall die-casting, Notebook computer housing, Cold chamber die-casting machine