Customer Success Stories

Discover how customers improve part quality, decrease cycle times and improve productivity with iTherm® solutions.

The function of a casting plunger in die casting

In high pressure die casting (HPDC), the main function of the plunger is to inject molten alloy from the shot sleeve to fill the mold cavity under high pressure. This ensures that the alloy completely fills the cavity and accurately takes on its shape.

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Performa Plunger and innoSleeve at GDM Eurocast

Eurocast used standard copper plungers with AS9U3 alloy, which had an average lifespan of 9,000 shots, lasting approximately three weeks in operation, requiring 17.3 plungers per machine annually.

Key Considerations for Plunger Selection in HPDC

Choosing the right plunger can significantly impact your production quality, cycle time, and overall operational costs. Our latest white paper is here to guide you through the complexities of plunger selection and ensure you make informed decisions.

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3x longer plunger lifetime with Performa Plunger

Our EU based customer that produces castings for the automotive industry was trying to increase the lifetime of shot sleeves. Conventional 1.2343 / H11 shot sleeves without thermal regulation had an average in-service lifetime of app. 30.000 shots.

innoSleeve Insert implementation

In terms of constant process optimization efforts, ZML was looking for an option on how to further optimize the cost efficiency of the shot sleeves.

13% cycle time reduction with iTherm® Die Insert

Our Slovenia based customer, specializes in the development and production of advanced solutions for OEM to TIER1 and TIER2 suppliers.

Elimination of overheating to enable microspraying implementation

The customer sought to add microspraying to one die; by integrating iTherm® conformal cooling, we optimized the process—reducing water and lubricant use, cutting costs, and extending equipment life.

How To Extend Sleeve Lifetime Cost Effectively

Effective management of the gap between the sleeve and the plunger mainly comes down to two areas, good thermal management of sleeve and plunger, and dimensional stability of the sleeve.

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AS CASTING reduces cycle time by 19% with iTherm® shot block

A beautiful example of a long-term partnership with improving solutions over time, the AS CASTING case follows one runner block's improvement over several generations, each bringing even better results for our customer.

20% cycle time reduction with iTherm® Core

A leading Slovenian die caster was facing a challenge with excessive heat build-up in a steering wheel housing die. IR heat map images of previous vs. iTherm® solution are featured.

57% reduction in porosity volume

Our customer has already tried switching to a conformal cooled component of another producer, but were dissatisfied with the result. With iTherm®, porosity in the die was reduced by 57%.

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