Select the relevant topics below. Combined requirements are reviewed together for the same alloy, drawing revision and production route.
Mark the drawing
Identify the Critical Regions
Illustrative regions only. Actual core directions, sealing requirements and load cases are defined during drawing and tooling review.
1. Local thin wall: mark thickness distribution and transitions.
2. Core access: identify internal features and extraction constraints.
3. Sealing region: mark the boundary and required test conditions.
4. Loaded connection: identify service loads, material and performance targets.
Provide · Review · Confirm
Geometry & Tooling Review
Thin-Wall Requirements
Provide with the drawing
Wall-thickness distribution, local minimums, geometry, tolerances and defect criteria.
Review with engineering
Main-wall references are 1.5–4.5 mm for aluminum and 0.8–2.0 mm for zinc. A 0.7 mm local wall in zinc/Zamak requires short flow paths and tooling-trial assessment of venting, die temperature and gating; it is not a general aluminum minimum.
Confirm before release
Agree local thickness, permitted variation, inspection locations and trial acceptance for the actual alloy and geometry before production release.
Detailed review conditions
Provide the wall-thickness distribution and identify the thinnest local sections. Alloy, flow distance, transitions and overall geometry are assessed together during the filling review. The DFM should define the accepted local minimum, thickness tolerance and inspection locations for the actual part.
Use 1.5–4.5 mm for aluminum and 0.8–2.0 mm for zinc as initial main-wall design references. A 0.7 mm local thin wall in zinc/Zamak requires short flow paths and tooling-trial assessment of venting, die temperature and gating. This is not a general aluminum minimum; aluminum thin-wall geometry requires its own filling and tooling review.
CAD and drawing revision, assembly interfaces, datum relationships and machining areas.
Review with engineering
Parting, slides, core access, extraction and thick-to-thin transitions; permitted design changes. Secondary CNC feasibility also depends on fixture clearance, tool access and part stability, as well as machine travel.
Confirm before release
Proposed tooling and machining route, required geometry changes and feature-specific acceptance criteria.
Detailed review conditions
The review considers parting, slides, core access, extraction, thick-to-thin transitions and areas requiring subsequent machining. Identify assembly interfaces and the geometric relationships that control function. The review identifies feasible tooling and machining options, required geometry changes and feature-specific acceptance requirements.
Secondary CNC feasibility depends on machine travel, fixture clearance, tool access, workholding and part stability. Identify how each critical feature can be reached, supported and measured before agreeing the machining route.
Service and test media; pressure, temperature, stabilization or hold time, measurement time, leakage limit and units.
Review with engineering
Sealing regions, casting and secondary operations, test setup and whether impregnation is permitted.
Confirm before release
Agreed test stage, sampling or full inspection, leakage criteria and required reports. Dimensional acceptance alone does not verify leakage performance.
Detailed review conditions
Describe the sealing medium and operating conditions. A leakage requirement needs a test medium, pressure, temperature, stabilization or hold time, measurement time, allowable leakage rate and units. Agree the inspection stage, sampling or full inspection, and whether impregnation is permitted.
The manufacturing and secondary-operation plan is reviewed against those conditions. Dimensional acceptance alone does not establish that a part meets its leakage requirement.
Exact grade, delivery condition, service requirements and required tensile strength, yield strength or elongation.
Review with engineering
Geometry and loading requirements alongside the specified properties, test method and specimen source.
Confirm before release
Property targets, specimen definition, sampling and test records. Agree whether evidence comes from separate specimens or specimens taken from the casting.
Detailed review conditions
Specify the alloy, delivery condition and required mechanical properties. The acceptance plan should identify tensile strength, yield strength or elongation requirements where relevant, together with the test method, specimen source and sampling plan.
A separately cast test specimen and a specimen machined from the production casting may have different properties. Agree what evidence is required for the actual component. Geometry and dimensions must be considered alongside the mechanical acceptance requirements.
Include the drawing and CAD revision, exact alloy, batch and annual quantities, finish and requested records. Identify provisional values and permitted design or process changes.
Information required for technical review
Part requirement
Information to include with the drawing
Thin walls
Local thickness, geometry, tolerance, measurement locations and defect criteria
Complex features
Parting and extraction constraints, datum relationships and machining areas
Pressure tightness
Medium, pressure, temperature, test timing, leakage limit and inspection stage
Mechanical performance
Grade, delivery condition, property targets, specimen definition and test plan
Provide batch and annual volume, required finish and requested records with the technical files. Define project-specific acceptance values during the technical review and record them in the approved specification and test plan.
Specialized Review Questions
Can one component be reviewed for several requirements?
Yes. Identify each requirement on the same drawing revision and explain their functional relationships. Review geometry, material, manufacturing operations and acceptance criteria together.
Can a review start before test conditions are finalized?
Send the service conditions and known targets, and identify missing or provisional requirements. Engineering can clarify the information and testing decisions needed before acceptance criteria are agreed.
Do material or drawing changes require another review?
Identify the changed grade, revision, geometry or service requirement. Reassess the affected tooling, process and inspection requirements before releasing the updated component.
Engineering resources
Plan Design, Defect Review and Inspection
Die Casting DFM Checklist Before Tooling Release
A drawing-based checklist for closing geometry, tooling, machining, finishing, inspection, and approval questions before die manufacture begins.
Die Casting Defects: Causes, Prevention, and Inspection Strategy
A practical framework for classifying casting defects, investigating interacting causes, selecting controls, and matching inspection to functional risk.
Building a Practical Inspection Plan for Cast and Machined Parts
Translate drawing requirements and product risk into incoming checks, first-article inspection, in-process controls, final verification and shipment records.
Include each requirement and the relevant drawing regions in one RFQ. Identify which conditions are fixed and where geometry, material or process alternatives can be considered.
The inquiry form pre-fills the selected review topic; you can edit it and add combined requirements.
