• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.593-600
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• 2012

Thixomolding of Mg-alloy is a semi-solid injection molding process utilizing thixotropic phenomenon. Using this process, higher strength, thinner wall section and tighter tolerance without porosity are obtained. It has been applied for production of near-net-shape magnesium component. To design optimal thixomolding process of Mg-alloy part, molding conditions such as slurry temperature, mold temperature and injection time should be determined properly. Selection of these parameters has been dependent upon engineers' experience and intuitiveness. In this paper, to improve mechanical properties of the thixomolded product, optimal selection of process variables such as injection velocity, barrel temperature and die temperature in the process has been studied through microstructural analysis and Taguchi method. Performance of the process is verified through experiments.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.7-21
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• 2000

This paper describes an overview of the thixoforming and thixomolding processes. Semi-solid metalworking (SSM), which is called the thixoforming process of aluminium materials, incorporates the elements of both casting and for the manufacture of near net shape parts. The SSM has some advantages such as net shape or near net shape manufacturing, the ability to form thin walls, excellent surface finish, tight tolerance, and excellent dimensional precision. The thixomolding process of Mg alloy (AZ9l) is a combination of two technologies both conventional die casting and plastic injection molding. The feed material used is a machined chip with a geometry of approximately 1 mm square and a length of 2~3 mm. The semi-solid forming (SSF) of high quality aluminium and magnesium parts will be established in the automotive and electronic industry, in the future. The hybrid method of casting/forging has been caused attention. This process uses a preformed material made by casting instead of the wrought material and finishes it by a single forging process. This process is expected to lower costs without sacrificing the mechanical and finishes it by a single forging process. The process is expected to lower costs without sacrificing the mechanical properties. The authors, intending that the casting/forging process contributes to a reduction in production cost of aluminum automotive parts in Korea, describes the feature of the casting/forging process, aluminum alloys suitable for the cast preform, microstructure and mechanical properties of the cast preform, application examples of cast/forging, and further study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.389-392
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• 2001

The characteristics of thixoforming process can decrease liquid segregation because of the improvement in fluidity in a globular microstructure state and utilizes flow without an air entrapment. Therefore, in order to obtain the sound parts of metal matrix composites by using thixoforming process which is co-existing solidus-liquidus phase, it is very important to obtain a die design, fabrication conditions which affects the uniformity of the solid fraction on unfilling state and various defects throughout the fabricated parts. The die designs and fabrication conditions to obtain the good piston part are proposed for thixogorging process of metal matrix composites.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.168-174
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• 2019

The microstructural features and relative room temperature mechanical properties were investigated in various compositions of Mg-xAl-yZn alloys by thxiomolding process. The microstructure was composed of ${\alpha}$-Mg particles and mixture of ${\alpha}$-Mg and ${\beta}-Mg_{17}Al_{12}$ eutectic phase. The amount of ${\beta}-Mg_{17}Al_{12}$ eutectic phase in mixture was increased with increasing Al and Zn contents without grain refinement. After adding Ti content, however, the morphology of ${\beta}-Mg_{17}Al_{12}$ eutectic phase transformed from net-like to discontinuous shape and the average grain size reduced. To determine the relationship between microstructural features and their mechanical properties, a tensile test was performed at room temperature. As a result, it was found that the mechanical properties were improved in all of Ti contained alloys due to increased elongation and the mechanisms are discussed in terms of microstructural evolution.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.130-136
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• 2009

Semi-solid casting(SSC) of magnesium alloys is increasingly being used to produce high quality components. This process is similar to the injection molding of plastics and is called thixomolding. Using this process, higher strength, thinner wall sections and tighter tolerances without porosity are obtained. The high strength and low weight characteristics of magnesium alloys render the high-precision fabrication of thin-walled components with large surface areas. They are widely used for the IT, auto and consumer electronics industries. However, warpage of the thin-walled sections degrade quality of the parts produced in the SCC process. To produce thin-walled magnesium alloy parts, the geometry of gating system on the quality of the finished products should be clearly studied. In this paper, to minimize warpage of the thin-walled sections, Taguchi method is applied to the optimal design of the gate geometry in the thixomolding process. Width, height, length and angle of the gating system are selected for the robust design parameters. Effectiveness of the robust design is verified through the CAE software.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.28-34
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• 2008

Mg alloy is widely used for the IT, auto and consumer electronics industries. Semi-solid casting(SSC) of magnesium alloys is used to produce high quality components. SSC process is analogous with the injection molding of plastics. The high strength and low weight characteristics of magnesium alloys render the high-precision fabrication of thin-walled components with large surface areas. To produce thin-walled magnesium alloy parts, SSC process parameters on the quality of the finished product should be clearly studied. In this paper, to select optimal process parameters, Taguchi method is applied to the optimal design of the process parameters in the SSC process. The die temperature, injection velocity and barrel temperature of the SSC process are selected for the process parameters. The effectiveness of the optimal design is verified through the CAE software.