GRETA – a case study on die-cast secondary aluminium

In ongoing production at AGES in Kulltorp, die-cast components of a secondary aluminium alloy have been continuously taken out for mechanical testing and microstructure investigations. The aim has been to increase the understanding of whether properties vary and, if so, why. In an industrial and well-controlled process, the properties and performance of the obtained material has been analysed for comparison with the original secondary alloy and its specification to see how the material varies during production. The results showed a uniform quality of the produced castings. The hardness test also showed very even results for each component. No statistical difference between the samples could be demonstrated. This means that even if some data collected from the castings were on the edge of the desired range, the properties have not been significantly affected. In other words, there is a higher potential in recycled alloys than that reported in the standard SS-EN 1706:2021. Solidification rate, possible heat treatment and the amount of defects play a decisive role in the final properties of a cast part. By optimizing these, properties that exceed the standard can be obtained.