A practical buyer's guide for engineers, sourcing teams, and quality managers.
This white paper explains when to choose gravity casting, how A356 compares with ADC12 and ZL114, what tolerances are realistic, and how to qualify a China casting supplier without getting burned by vague quotes.
At a glance
Why this matters
Most casting RFQs fail before tooling even starts. The drawing is over-toleranced, the alloy is chosen by habit, and the supplier is judged on piece price instead of process fit.
This guide is built to fix that — fast.
Guide Overview
Compare gravity casting, die casting, and sand casting using real-world design and cost logic instead of generic process charts.
Understand the practical differences between A356, ZL114, and ADC12 before you lock the drawing or RFQ package.
Review wall thickness, draft, fillets, undercuts, parting lines, and machining strategy with gravity-casting-specific guidance.
Set realistic CT6-CT8 expectations, avoid billet-style over-tolerancing, and machine only where function requires it.
See when T5 or T6 makes sense, what property gains are realistic, and why porosity control still matters first.
Cover common defects, X-ray strategy, CMM checks, traceability, and how to ask for the right inspection plan.
Read Online
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Gravity casting sits in the sweet spot between sand casting and high-pressure die casting. It offers stronger, lower-porosity parts than typical die cast alternatives, better repeatability than sand casting, and a much more practical tooling budget for medium-volume engineered components.
Choose gravity casting when the part is too structural for typical thin-wall die casting, too repeatability-sensitive for sand casting, and valuable enough to justify better tooling, tighter process control, and heat-treatable alloys such as A356.
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive outcome. Real comparison should include tooling cost, yield, machining allowance, heat treatment, scrap risk, leak risk, inspection scope, and the supplier's ability to explain defect modes before production starts.
The full guide walks through alloy selection, DFM rules, tolerances, heat treatment, inspection, PPAP expectations, RFQ structure, and supplier-evaluation questions you can actually use in a sourcing meeting.
Soft lead capture
No forced form. If you want help applying the guide to your own part, send us a drawing and we'll review the alloy, process fit, and manufacturability.
FAQ
This resource is currently available as an online markdown guide with a direct download link, so buyers can read it instantly or save it for internal review.
It is written for design engineers, sourcing managers, quality teams, and OEM buyers evaluating aluminum gravity casting suppliers and process choices.
Gravity casting is often the right answer for medium-volume structural aluminum parts that need better mechanical performance, heat treatment capability, and repeatability than typical die cast or sand cast alternatives.
Resource URL: https://bohua-casting.com/resources
