Material selection, tolerances and machining guidance for precision cast aluminum plate.
These guides are written for the people who actually cut the metal: tool and mold makers, fixture shops and production engineers choosing between plate grades. Each one covers what a specification means in practice, where a material genuinely should not be used, and what is stocked in Oldcastle, Ontario for same or next business day supply.
Aluminum molds cost more to build because you need more of them. On a 20 million piece ABS job they still finished 31% cheaper per part. Here is the arithmetic, the tool life data, and the jobs where aluminum should not be quoted at all.
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Both are cast tooling plates, but they differ in alloy family and in how the plate is produced. Measured comparison of tensile strength, elongation and porosity.
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Rolled 6061-T651 is the stronger material. Cast 5083 in O3 temper is the stable one, and measurably so: seven times less distortion and 56% less machining time on the same part.
Read more →Our Canadian team understands mold making. Tell us your application and we will recommend the right G.AL® grade, thickness, and format - and get you a quote fast.