GreatLight offers customers a 4,400-ton two-platen press for large, thin-wall structural castings. One shot replaces several welded steel parts, and the same plant machines the casting to final tolerance.
Most problems show up on the first article, not on the drawing. Four we see on big structural parts.
Shot size and platen space decide what a machine can cast. A part that needs a large platen footprint will not run on a 1,600-ton press, no matter how the gate is laid out. Tooling built for the wrong machine ships a die that never fills on the first trial.
Insufficient clamping force lets metal escape at the parting line. Operators then spend hours trimming and grinding, and the flash scar often lands on a sealing face or a bolt boss. That is rework you cannot inspect away.
Gas trapped during injection opens up when the casting is milled. A bracket looks fine as cast, then leaks or cracks at 60 percent of its fatigue life. Rework rate climbs and the customer asks for a process change.
The die caster blames the machining stock. The machine shop blames the casting. Nobody owns the datum. The project loses two weeks while the part sits in a warehouse, and the launch date moves.
One plant owns the shot, the heat treat, and the final cut. That removes the handoff where large castings usually stall.
GreatLight offers customers a 4,400-ton die casting press built on a two-platen frame. Two platens instead of three give more usable daylight and a shorter machine footprint, so a large die fits without a special foundation. Clamping force holds the two die halves closed while the shot is injected at high velocity.
The press suits structural parts that were previously welded from steel or bolted together from several castings. A single shot can replace a multi-piece assembly, which removes weld distortion and cuts the number of fixtures in the machine shop. Wall thickness typically runs 2.0 to 4.0 mm on these parts. Thinner than that and fill becomes the limiting factor, not the press.
A raw casting is a near-net shape, not a finished part. GreatLight machines the cast surface on the same site, using 5-axis and mill-turn centers to hit ±0.005 mm on critical bores and faces. That tolerance applies to the machined features, not to the as-cast skin.
Keeping both steps under one roof means the datum is defined once. The casting is located on the same fixture family through rough and finish operations, so accumulated stack-up stays predictable. We also machine bosses, seal faces, and threaded holes that the die cannot form cleanly.
Use this table to decide whether a part belongs on a 4,400-ton machine or somewhere else.
| Part characteristic | 4,400-ton press | Smaller press or other process |
|---|---|---|
| Overall part size | Large structural housings and frames | Small brackets and covers |
| Wall thickness | 2.0 to 4.0 mm | Under 1.5 mm or over 6 mm |
| Assembly count | One shot replaces several parts | Single simple part, no integration gain |
| Annual volume | Prototype up to 10,000+ parts | Very low volume, sand or gravity cast |
| Tolerance need | Machined features at ±0.005 mm | As-cast tolerance is enough |
| Porosity class | Structural, pressure-tight sections | Non-critical cosmetic parts |
The press is one step in a chain. These are the services around it.
Aluminum high-pressure die casting on the 4,400-ton press. ADC12 and similar alloys, from prototype tooling to production dies.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers cut cast faces, bores, and pockets in one setup on complex parts.
27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers handle secondary ops and turned features on castings.
Machined and printed prototypes to validate fit before you commit to a die.
Anodizing, powder coating, bead blasting, and laser marking on cast and machined surfaces.
For brackets and covers that pair with a casting in the same assembly.
The numbers below define what we can quote. Anything outside them gets a review, not a yes.
| Item | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clamping force | 4,400 t | Two-platen frame |
| Material | ADC12 aluminum | Other alloys on review |
| Wall thickness | 2.0 to 4.0 mm | Typical structural range |
| Machining tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Machined features only |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm | Machined faces |
| Max machined length | 4,000 mm | Largest travel on our mills |
| Volume range | 1 part to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
Numbers we can be held to, not adjectives.
A large structural casting needs clamping force and platen space in the same machine. This press gives both, so the die closes on the first trial instead of the third.
Cast features stay near net. Critical bores, seal faces, and pilot diameters get cut to ±0.005 mm, with inspection reports on request.
Fifteen years of tooling, casting, and machining experience. We have seen which draft angles and radii survive a production die.
Send a drawing and get a quotation plus free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours after approval.
Raw material checks, in-process monitoring, and 100% inspection before shipment. Final reports are available when your quality team asks.
7,600 m² of manufacturing space across Dongguan and Singapore, with 127 high-precision CNC machines and 150 technicians.
Structural housings and battery-tray components cast in one shot, then machined on 5-axis centers.
Joint housings and frame sections that need stiffness without a heavy weldment.
Machine frames and covers where flatness and bore alignment decide how the machine runs.
Enclosure and support structures that must be pressure-tight around sealed sections.
It suits large structural parts with a wide platen footprint and long flow paths. If your part is a small bracket, a smaller press will do the same job for less tooling cost.
Send the drawing and we will tell you which machine fits. The quotation includes that recommendation.
Both. The casting is machined in the same plant on 5-axis and mill-turn centers, so datum control stays with one team.
As-cast surfaces stay as-cast where the drawing allows, which keeps cycle time and cost down.
Machined features are held to ±0.005 mm. As-cast surfaces follow normal die casting tolerance, which is looser and depends on the feature and the die layout.
We list which surfaces get machined on the DFM sheet, so you know what you are inspecting before the die is cut.
Structural parts typically run 2.0 to 4.0 mm. Below 2.0 mm, fill becomes the limiting factor and porosity risk rises. Above 4.0 mm, cycle time and part weight climb without adding stiffness.
If your design sits outside that range, we will say so at quoting.
ADC12 is the standard alloy for this press. Other aluminum grades are reviewed case by case against the part geometry and the required mechanical properties.
We also machine 6061, 7075, and other grades for parts that are cut from billet rather than cast.
Yes. Uploads are kept secure and confidential, and an NDA is available on request before you share drawings.
Your die design and part geometry stay with the project team.
Yes. Prototype tooling runs on the press, and we can also machine or print a prototype to check fit before a die is committed.
There is no minimum order quantity. One part or a 10,000-part run both go through the same process sheet.
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours, and production can start within 24 hours after approval. Machined parts ship in 3–5 days.
Every part is inspected before shipment: raw material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection. Reports are available on request.
Upload a drawing or a STEP file. We will tell you if the 4,400-ton press fits the part, or point you to the machine that does.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
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