Skip to main content
ZAODA Manufacturing Group

Privacy preferences

Necessary storage supports secure forms, website sessions and your privacy choice. Optional analytics helps ZAODA understand visits, page use and enquiry interactions. Website Analytics is enabled by default. Uncheck it and save your preferences to stop analytics.

Your choice is saved for 180 days. We ask again when it expires or these settings change.

Necessary

Always active

These cookies keep the website and enquiry forms working securely and remember your privacy choice. They also support administrator authentication.

Allow ZAODA to measure page visits, time on the site, referrers and enquiry interactions using random visitor and session identifiers. Statistics are sent to ZAODA's own website, with network addresses stored as keyed hashes.

Cookies and browser storage

Necessary: zaoda-session and XSRF-TOKEN cookies support sessions and form security and last for 2 hours, renewed by website activity. The zaoda:consent local storage record remembers this privacy choice until its expiry. Optional analytics: zaoda:analytics:visitor uses local storage; zaoda:analytics:session and zaoda:analytics:last-activity use session storage. A new analytics session begins after 30 minutes of inactivity. These identifiers are removed when analytics is declined, consent expires or the consent version changes. Session storage normally ends with the browser tab; browser settings can also clear site data.

Cookie Policy
Home / Resources / Die Casting Draft Angle: How to Specify It
Design Guides

Die Casting Draft Angle: How to Specify It

Die casting draft angle provides clearance as a casting releases from a die face or core.

Written by ZAODA Updated Oct 30, 2026
Die tool with side actuators and machined cavity surfaces
Engineering reference image

Die casting draft angle provides clearance as a casting releases from a die face or core. Specify it with the opening direction, feature depth and controlled dimension. A blanket angle can leave a pocket too small at its base or remove stock needed for a functional surface.

Draft changes the size along a wall

Establish how every feature releases

Mark the main die-opening direction first. Identify faces formed by the fixed half, moving half and any side actions. Internal walls tend to grip a core as the casting cools, so review them separately from external faces. Texture, wall depth and ejection support also affect the proposal.

A face that cannot clear in the main opening direction may need a slide, a geometry change or later machining. Removing draft in CAD does not resolve the release mechanism.

Dimension a drafted feature at a defined section

For a straight tapered face, the lateral change is depth × tan(angle). At an illustrative depth of 40 mm and angle of 1°, the change is approximately 0.70 mm per face. A symmetrical pocket changes about 1.40 mm across its width over that depth. These assumed values demonstrate dimensioning; they are not universal process recommendations.

Drawing item Specify Why it matters
Pocket width Width at a named depth or plane Mouth and base widths differ
External wall Datum and taper direction Assembly clearance changes along the wall
Machined bore Cast core and finished geometry Draft must leave adequate local stock
Textured surface Texture and permitted draft proposal Surface texture affects release

Keep functional exceptions visible

A connector may need a straight locating surface while the surrounding cavity can remain drafted. Machine only the functional region if that offers a practical tool path and fixture. Alternatively, change how the mating component locates. Compare the extra machining with the cost and maintenance of another die action.

For a deep enclosure pocket, check the actual PCB envelope at its installed height, including component clearance. Checking only the opening can miss interference lower in the housing.

Approve the draft model and sectioned drawing together before tool manufacture. Include the controlled dimension in the sample inspection plan. An angle on a drawing is useful only when the tooling team, inspector and assembly designer agree which section it controls.

References