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Where Should You Buy a Used Die Casting Machine?

Die Casting Machine

Which is the Right Brand?

There are many manufacturers of die casting machines in the world. However, our many years of experience have shown, over and over again, that the best quality machines are recognized brand names manufacturers and originate from North America, Europe and Japan. As well, do not be too focused on the age of the machine. Due to their construction, and unlike most machines, die casting machines last a very long time. In addition, the technology has not changed too much over the years. Unless you plan to make very high-end castings, most well-made used machines should be sufficient for most applications. There are some good deals to be had slightly older machines.

What is a Realistic Budget?

 While of course, everyone would like to spend the least amount of money on capital equipment such as a die casting machine, generally speaking, you can use the follow basic guidelines when it comes to comparing prices of new and used machines. The reason for the price range of second-hand machines is the age and the condition.

 

Where Should You Buy a Used Machine?

When considering the purchase of a used machine, ultimately you have two basic choices.

Buying Privately

The first choice is to buy privately from a die casting company. However, when you think about it, this choice is very often limited, actually more so than you would expect. First of all, by calling from die caster to die caster it is hard to locate the right machine for your needs. Secondly, there are used machinery dealers like my company, in which it is their “business” to call and keep in contact with all die casters on a regular bases and find out if they have machines for sale. For example, our company is in touch with just about every die caster on the planet. When we do find a good machine, we snatch up before it even sees daylight. Therefore, your chances of finding a “good machine” just “phoning around” becomes very remote.

Buying from a Dealer

The second choice you have, is to buy from a die casting machine dealer. There are two types of dealers in the world – stocking and non-stocking. No-stocking dealers accumulate lists of machines available for sale. They offer these for sale to everyone and they usually make about 10% as a selling commission from the owner of the machine. There are 3 problems with this type of business model:

  1. Non-stocking dealers sell machines that they have not purchased with their own money. As such, they take no responsibility for these machines. They basically “sell and run”.
  2. Non-stocking dealers have no stock on hand and so they can “disappear” very quickly. They have no big, heavy machines to move which takes time, effort and money.
  3. Non-stocking dealers offer machines that a stocking dealer like my company already passed up or refused to purchase. When we pass on a machine there must be a very good reason. Non-stocking dealers usually offer the “leftovers” after stocking dealers pick over the good ones.

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How to Select and Buy a Die Casting Machine

Die Casting Explained

Die Casting Machine

In the die casting process, a mold (called the die) is required. The die is constructed from very high-quality steel specially made for dies. The dies are reusable and are made of two halves. During the process of die casting, molten metal is injected into the closed die under very high pressure through a relatively small hole in one half of the die. When the molten metal has solidified sufficiently, the two parts of the die are opened to expose the actual casting inside. The casting is then removed from the die, cooled further and then finally trimmed. The trimming separates the gates and runners from the casting. The gates and runners are incorporated into the die design as a way to distribute molten metal to the various parts of the die. The trimmed gates and runners are then usually re-melted with new metal also being added. After trimming, further operations can be performed such as drilling and tapping, powder coating and assembly of finished components, etc.



How to Select and Buy a Die Casting Machine

There are many things to take under consideration when buying a die casting machine. This section has been designed to simplify the process of sifting through all the options and selecting the right machine for your needs.


New or SecondHand?

This is the age-old question that most people have. However, most people do not realize that when it comes to die casting machines (as with many other products), manufacturers of these machines produce several “export versions” depending on which “region” of the world they will be sold to. For example, die casting machines produced for the North American market will vary greatly in the quality of materials and technical capabilities when compared to machines produced for “developing” countries. The reality of the matter is that the North American market is much more “mature” and generally speaking has much greater requirements and expectations than other developing markets do. In addition, the level of sophistication, the product technology and budgets for equipment acquisition is greater as well. As such, many die casting machine manufacturers who have been relatively successful in producing machines for developing counties have had almost NO success in developed countries like North America, Europe and other developed markets. In the world market, these machines have become known as “disposable” machines (possibly the term came from disposable shavers). Whereas a machine made in North America or Europe can be rebuilt many times over and over due to superior quality steel, such disposable machines have a very short lifespan of only a few years. After that, it is very hard, if not impossible, to rebuild them properly since the quality of the metal is very poor.

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