Industries We Serve With Aluminum Die Casting
Aluminum die casting programs for automotive, robotics and automation, industrial equipment, consumer electronics and medical device OEMs — each with the alloy, tolerance and documentation discipline that industry expects.
The same process, five different sets of priorities
CharMax Precision supplies custom aluminum die castings to five OEM industries: automotive, robotics and automation, industrial equipment, consumer electronics, and medical devices. Each brings a different governing requirement — PPAP discipline in automotive, stiffness-to-weight in robotics, pressure tightness in industrial equipment, cosmetic finish in electronics, and documented traceability in medical devices.
The casting cell does not change between them. What changes is where the engineering effort goes: which alloy is specified, which dimensions are machined rather than cast, whether a surface is functional or cosmetic, how the part is tested, and which documents ship with the pallet. A robot joint housing and a pump body can come off adjacent machines and still be judged by completely different acceptance criteria.
We are ISO 9001:2015 certified. We are not IATF 16949 or ISO 13485 certified, so automotive programs are served as a Tier 2 or Tier 3 supplier or under a customer's quality umbrella, and medical work is limited to non-implantable equipment enclosures and structural components. Being clear about that at the quotation stage saves everyone a failed audit later.
Cross-industry capability summary
| Industries served | Automotive, Robotics and automation, Industrial equipment, Consumer electronics, Medical devices |
|---|---|
| Casting process | Cold chamber high pressure die casting |
| Machine range | 160 to 1,250 tons of cold chamber clamping force |
| Part weight | 20 g to 12 kg per casting |
| Alloys | A380 aluminum, ADC12 aluminum, A360 aluminum, Aluminum-silicon alloys |
| Tolerance | ±0.1 mm on as-cast features, ±0.02 mm on machined features |
| Annual volume | 500 to 500,000+ parts per year |
| Annual capacity | Over 4 million die cast components per year |
| Certification | ISO 9001:2015 (not IATF 16949 or ISO 13485) |
| Documentation | Material certificates, dimensional reports, FAI, PPAP format on request |
Explore the capability for your industry
Every industry page covers the problems customers in that sector bring us, the components we cast most often, the alloy and tolerance decisions behind them, and the inspection and documentation that industry expects.
Automotive Aluminum Die Casting
Lightweighting brackets, housings and structural components for vehicle and EV supply chains under PPAP discipline.
- PPAP and IMDS support
- Pressure-tight housings
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 supply
Robotics and Automation Die Casting
Stiff, light structural castings for robot arms, joints, gearbox housings and automation end effectors.
- High stiffness-to-weight
- Machined datum accuracy
- Low to mid volume friendly
Industrial Equipment Die Casting
Pump bodies, valve housings, gearbox cases and machine frames that must be durable and pressure tight.
- Pressure and leak testing
- Heavy sections to 12 kg
- Long production life cycles
Consumer Electronics Die Casting
Thin-wall housings, chassis, frames and heat spreaders where cosmetic finish and EMI shielding matter.
- Cosmetic Class A finishes
- EMI shielding by design
- High volume cost control
Medical Device Aluminum Die Casting
Equipment enclosures, imaging frames and instrument housings with documented traceability and inspection.
- Full lot traceability
- Cleanable finishes
- Documented FAI packages
How requirements differ by industry
Most sourcing conversations go wrong because a supplier quotes a casting without knowing which requirement is the binding one. This is the shorthand we use when a new enquiry arrives, before any price is discussed.
| Industry | Typical parts | Priority alloy | Critical requirement | Documentation expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive | EV battery module brackets, sensor housings, pump bodies, transmission covers | A380 structural, A360 for fluid-carrying | Dimensional capability held across six-figure annual volume | PPAP-format submission, control plan, capability study, IMDS data |
| Robotics and automation | Joint housings, harmonic drive housings, arm segments, gripper bodies | A380 for machinability, ADC12 for thin wall | Stiffness-to-weight plus machined accuracy on mounting interfaces | FAI with GD&T results, CMM reports on datum features, material certificate |
| Industrial equipment | Pump bodies, valve housings, gearbox cases, motor end covers | A360 for pressure tightness | Leak tightness and durability across a 10 to 20 year model life | Leak test records, dimensional report per lot, tool maintenance history |
| Consumer electronics | Chassis and mid-frames, display bezels, heat spreaders, camera housings | ADC12 for 1.0 to 1.5 mm walls | Cosmetic surface quality and continuous EMI grounding paths | Signed cosmetic boundary samples, AQL inspection reports, RoHS declaration |
| Medical devices | Instrument enclosures, imaging frames, analyser chassis, pump housings | A360 for corrosion resistance, A380 for machined structure | Lot traceability and finishes that survive disinfectant wipe-down | Documented FAI, lot traceability records, advance change notification |
Every column is set by the end market rather than by us. Send your drawing and the requirement you cannot compromise on, and the quote will be built around that constraint.
Related capabilities and resources
Manufacturing services
Part types we produce
Aluminum alloys we cast
Need machined aluminum parts instead of castings?
Die casting pays for itself above roughly 1,000 parts per year. Below that, or while you are still validating a design, CNC machining from billet is usually the faster and cheaper route. CharMax Precision runs a dedicated aluminum CNC machining operation for exactly that work, so you can prototype machined, then move to casting when volume justifies tooling.
Questions about industry-specific die casting
Are you IATF 16949 or ISO 13485 certified?
No. CharMax Precision holds ISO 9001:2015 certification only. For automotive work that means we supply as a Tier 2 or Tier 3 source into a Tier 1 customer's quality system, or direct under a customer-specific quality agreement, providing PPAP-format documentation, control plans and capability studies rather than claiming an IATF site of record. For medical work we manufacture non-implantable equipment enclosures and structural components with documented traceability, and we are not a supplier of implantable or patient-contact critical devices. If your program requires a certified site, plan that into sourcing early.
Does the die casting process change from one industry to another?
The casting process does not change; the engineering priorities and the paperwork around it do. Every part is cast on a cold chamber machine between 160 and 1,250 tons with the same melt control and shot monitoring. What differs is alloy selection, where tolerance is spent, which surfaces are cosmetic, whether the part is leak tested, and what documentation ships with it. An electronics chassis is judged on a cosmetic boundary sample; a pump body is judged on an air-decay leak test; an automotive bracket is judged on a capability study.
Do you supply OEMs directly or through Tier 1 suppliers?
Both. Machine builders in robotics, industrial equipment and medical instrumentation usually buy direct, because they are the OEM and own the drawing. In automotive we most often sit one level down, casting and machining to a Tier 1 customer's print and shipping into their assembly plant. The commercial structure changes the documentation package and the release process, not the manufacturing.
What if our part does not belong to any of these five industries?
Send the drawing anyway. These five are simply where most of our programs land, and the engineering questions we ask are the same regardless of end market: annual volume, wall thickness, which features are critical, whether the part must be pressure tight, what the surface has to look like, and what documentation you need. We also cast parts for LED lighting, telecom hardware, marine equipment and power distribution using the same review process.
Can one supplier handle both a 2,000-piece program and a 200,000-piece program?
Yes, but the tooling strategy differs. Low-volume programs typically use a single-cavity die, simplified slides and more machining after casting, so tooling stays between 3,000 and 12,000 USD. High-volume programs justify multi-cavity dies, automated extraction and dedicated machining fixtures, which raises tooling cost but drives the piece price down. We quote both approaches when a program sits near the break-even point so you can see the trade-off before committing.
What is your lead time from purchase order to first parts?
Production tooling takes 25 to 40 days depending on part complexity and cavity count, followed by 5 to 7 days for T1 sample production. After you approve samples, production lead time is 15 to 25 days including machining, finishing and inspection. For repeat orders on existing tooling, expect 15 to 20 days.
Tell us which industry your part ships into
Send your 2D drawing and 3D model with the requirement you cannot compromise on — capability, leak tightness, cosmetic class or traceability. You will get piece pricing, tooling cost, lead time and a written DFM report built around that constraint.
- Engineering response within 24 hours on business days
- Quotation within 24-48 hours of receiving 2D/3D files
- NDA signed before file review
- Free DFM feedback