Die-cast

This article is about the lost art. For the Autobot spaceship, see DieCast{{#switch:{{#sub:DieCast|-1}}

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Soundwave uses a lot of die-cast pieces.

A die-cast product is one which was produced by the injection of molten metal into steel molds under high pressure. The process is practically identical in concept to plastic injection molding, but uses molten metal. Many non-ferrous metals can be die-cast. The process is quick and precise, and is used to produce a wide variety of parts in many sizes. Some toys, including certain Transformers toys, are made partly or wholly from die-cast parts.

The metal used in die-cast toys is one of a family of alloys known as ZAMAK or ZAMAC. This peculiar name comes from the alloys' composition, which includes Zinc, Aluminum, MAgnesium, and Copper (Kupfer to the alloy's German originators), in varying amounts.

...did we mention it's a lost art?

Original use in Transformers

The amount of die-cast in old Transformers toys varies wildly, though it almost never makes up the majority of the toy. In most cases it was used merely for car hoods and occasionally side-panels for the larger toys. In some examples, like Tracks or the Inferno/Grapple mold, only a very small amount of the toy uses die-cast metal. Die-cast parts were used for early Generation 1 toys derived from the Diaclone and Micro Change lines, then for the most part phased out around 1986.

Die cast metal vs. injection molded plastic

The similar processes used allow practically the same parts to be produced in die-cast metal or injection-molded plastic. Both processes are capable of reproducing very fine detail, though in either case, higher pressures must be used as the detail becomes finer.

Advantages of die-cast metal include strength and stability. ZAMAC alloys have a breaking strength of about 41,000 psi; the high-impact polystyrene and PVC plastics used in Transformers can only withstand 6,000 psi. Suppose two copies of Generation 1 Bluestreak's roof were made: one from die-cast ZAMAC; the other from molded, unfilled (clear) polystyrene. The die-cast roof would withstand a force roughly 6.8 times greater than the plastic part before breaking.

It should be borne in mind, however, that the die-cast roof would also weigh 6.2 times as much as the plastic part. This is sometimes an advantage: G1 Grapple and Inferno have die-cast feet, which lowers their centers of gravity, allowing them to stand more stably. In most cases, however, the added weight increases loads on joints, adds greater potential for damage when dropped, and raises shipping costs, so the strength advantage of die-cast parts is usually offset by the thinner sections and smaller stressed areas that are used to save weight.

Furthermore, high-impact polystyrene can deform about three times as far as an equivalent ZAMAC part before breaking. Frequently, this makes the plastic parts more forgiving than the die-cast would be of slight misalignments and unexpected loads, though they do not resist them as well. The resilience of molded plastic can also be increased by the addition of various fillers; many fans are well aware of the greater durability of opaque (filled) plastic parts over clear (unfilled) parts, though the resins are usually the same.

Another advantage of molded plastic, when used in Transformers toys, is that it can be easily molded in color. Neon, Playskool, or subdued, none are possible for ZAMAC, which must be its natural color or be coated with paint. Paint can chip with impact, and toys live a life of many impacts, be they a small nick from a spring-fired projectile, or a high-speed re-entry from a second-floor landing. The need for paint can make it difficult to make die-cast parts with very fine detail, which a thick coat of paint would obscure.

Stability is seldom a major consideration in toy design. While plastics do deteriorate with age far faster than properly mixed ZAMAC, they both last far longer than necessary for any child's plaything. There still remain other reasons besides strength (and sometimes weight distribution) to use die-cast parts. Plastic is derived from fossil fuels, and when these are expensive, it may well cost less to substitute equivalent die-cast parts (keeping in mind that the volumes and areas of sections can usually be greatly reduced, due to the greater strength of die-cast metal). This seems to have been the case in early Generation 1, when most Transformers toys included some die-cast parts (some of which were later redesigned in plastic when that material became cheaper). Finally, the "heft" of a heavy die-cast toy is equated by some fans, and perhaps some parents, with high quality. While this may not be a reason Swerve the metallurgist would give, it is nevertheless a valid marketing consideration.

Reception

For its real advantages of strength and heft, and for its perceived advantage of being "high quality" (read: "like it used to be"), die-cast construction still commands respect from a good many fans, casual and avid. As normally used in Transformers, however, the material is less forgiving of abuse, and must usually be coated in chip-prone paint. Toys with die-cast parts are notoriously susceptible to breaking at the spots where mobile plastic parts and joints must move heavy inflexible metal. Generation 1 toys with die-cast metal are among the most breakable of Transformer toys. Examples include Bluestreak's and Jazz's roofs, Mirage's waist, Swoop's wings and beak, and Jetfire's shoulders. This is not all the fault of the die-cast parts — the plastics used were more brittle, there were fewer angles of jointed motion to absorb stresses, and the methods of joining and construction less forgiving of abuse — but they certainly must share the blame. These durability risks cause many fans to view die-cast components as more trouble than they are worth, or perhaps meant for luxe showpieces that stand apart from mainstream toys and play methods.

Die-cast construction today

In the 21st century, die-cast construction is very rare. When it is used at all, it tends to be in more "adult-aimed" toy lines that advertise the metal itself as the value proposition; examples of this include early Masterpiece figures, Japanese Binaltech, Titanium Series, Ultimetal, Hot Wheels Optimus Prime, and Adamas Machina. The "Metal Heroes" sub-line of the RPMs and the Speed Stars lines were also made of die-cast.

Fiction

Beast Wars cartoon

The legendary Autobot starship known as the Ark was created using die-cast construction. By the era of the Maximals and Predacons, this technique was considered to be a "lost art." The Agenda (Part III)

It may or may not be the same thing as Cyber Metal.

External links

• NADCA website, including a die casting FAQ
• [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Die casting|{{#if:||Die casting}}]] on Wikipedia