What is Die Casting?

Die casting is an alternative yet effective process used to create custom metal items. This process is also known as casting, white metal casting, pewter casting, zinc alloy casting among other names. Pewter and zinc refer to the base metal that is used in this process as opposed to brass, copper or iron in the die stamping process.

The Die Casting Process

We start by engraving a pattern of your design out of a plastic sheet call delrin. The pattern is then placed in between 2 rubber or silicon discs under high pressure and heat to create a final mold. The mold is then placed in a centrifuge casting machine. Liquid pewter or zinc is then poured into the mold. The centrifuge spins the mold for 2-3 minutes forcing the liquid metal to spread within the mold to all the nooks and crevices thus forming the custom design. The mold is removed from the machine – the two halves of the mold are then pulled apart and the custom lapel pin is pulled out. The raw pin is then deburred (a process to remove any excess metal on the pin). From this point the raw pin then goes through a various finishing process to match the look and design requested from the customer. Below is a brief description of finish options which can be used individually or combined to create numerous different effects:

Tumble - items are placed in a barrel or tub full of metal shot and vibrated causing the raw pins to tumble and rub against the metal shot thus creating a polishing or shiny finish.

Satin - items are rubbed against a spinning satin wheel (like a grinding wheel but softer) which causes a matte or brushed metal finish (non-glossy).

Spray Finish- items are coated with a brass, copper, or bronze finish to provide other color finishes.

Antique - items are dipped in a liquid chemical which causes the recessed areas of the items design to blacken creating an antiqued look. The blackened area is not thick coloring – it just creates different shades of dark and light to accent the design.

Paint Wipe - items are essentially spray painted and then wiped off leaving the paint in the recessed areas. This only works on items with one color. This produces a flat finish. Paint wipe creates a thicker more consistent coloring than antiquing but not as thick as color fill.

Color Fill - items are enamel filled (enamel is a fancy name for paint). Any number of colors can be used to create the design but 4 or less is typical. Color fill produces more of a glossy look to the color and is much thicker than paint wipe. This would be considered SOFT ENAMEL.

Overall the difference in the end product between die stamping and die casting is often unrecognizable to the untrained eye. Both produce nice items.

Why Choose Die Casting?

Here are just a few reasons why you would want to choose die casting.

1. MADE in USA - our diecast items are proudly made in our Oklahoma factory.

2. CUTOUTS - If you have a design with inner cutouts or piercings – no extra charge. The diecasting process is perfect for inner cutouts.

3. LARGE PINS - diecasting is awesome for 2-4 inch baseball and softball trading pins. WHY? Because they are very large, unique and will be different than any other teams pins. All the other teams will want one. In fact you may be able to trade 2 for 1.

4. MEDALS/MEDALLIONS - diecasting is not limited to pins it has unlimited possibilities – it is in fact one of the best processes for medallions, medals and larger sized metal products.

5. THICKER – die cast products are not limited to the thin metal brass sheets. Die cast products can be anwhere from 1mm up to 4-5 inches thick. You can see this opens the possibilities.

Just ask and we will let you know what we can do. If your project is unique we will custom quote it and taylor it to meet your needs.