Extended Lifespan of 'Aluminum Sleeve' Revives Small and Medium Enterprises

Inner surface condition after using injection sleeve before development (left) and after development (right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A domestic small and medium-sized enterprise has succeeded in technological innovation with the help of a government-funded research institute.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science announced on the 17th that Dokyung Technology succeeded in securing product orders by supporting the injection sleeve technology for an electronic stirring high-pressure aluminum casting machine.

Dokyung Technology was a company that developed and supplied magnesium casting machine parts. However, as magnesium alloy parts used for smartphone and laptop cases were replaced by aluminum alloy parts, the company lost its market position. Although they had been developing sleeves and other casting products to produce aluminum alloy parts, they faced difficulties due to a lack of technology.

In response to Dokyung Technology's request for technical support, the Korea Institute of Materials Science found that Dokyung Technology's injection sleeve had issues such as chemical erosion called corrosion caused by molten aluminum alloy and thermal fatigue cracks due to repeated heating and cooling. Accordingly, by experimenting with various materials, they discovered a material that could extend the lifespan about four times longer than the existing sleeve.

The newly developed injection sleeve achieved a service life of 24,000 shots (40 days) through on-site evaluation at related industrial sites. Through this, Dokyung Technology was able to secure product orders from large corporations.

Nam Gi-seok, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Materials Science, stated, "Through this technology, the demand for sleeves can expect increased productivity and quality improvement of aluminum castings, as well as reduced maintenance costs of casting equipment," adding, "Dokyung Technology can enjoy ripple effects such as expanding application to general aluminum die-casting machine sleeves and applying it to other parts."