The Application of Precision Casting in the Automotive Industry

Among the many products of automotive components, precision casting products occupy a crucial proportion, such as: automotive engine oil pan, Cylinder Head, transmission casing, intake branch pipe, exhaust manifold, engine crankshaft, engine camshaft, piston rod, and wheel rims, all of which belong to casting products. However, compared to advanced industrial production, the proportion of automotive casting products in China's total casting production is still insufficient. According to a survey, automotive castings in the United States account for 33% of the total production of castings, while automotive castings in China only account for over 20% of the total production.

1. The progress of automotive industry production drives the development trend of the automotive casting industry

Automotive castings are one of the primary downstream industrial chains in China's automotive processing and manufacturing industry. About 10.5% of the parts of a white car body are iron castings and 6.4% are aluminum castings. This type of high-precision casting not only has a large total number but also has high quality standards. With the rapid development of China's automobile processing and manufacturing industry, the production of automobile castings has also increased. According to a survey, in 2009, the sales volume of automobiles in China increased by 13.5 million, and the production of automobile castings reached 10.33 million tons. With the production of automobiles in China reaching 15 million units in 2010, it is estimated that the production of automobile castings will reach 11.48 million tons. The increase in automobile production is the main factor that stimulates the development trend of the processing and manufacturing industry, and at the same time, it will also provide a larger indoor space for the industry market of automotive casting products in China. And with the development trend of lightweight automobiles and environmental protection and energy conservation, the market demand for automotive non-ferrous castings will also further expand. Since 2000, the production of high-precision castings in China has been steadily ranking globally, and it has become a well-deserved casting production and manufacturing power.

2. The export of automotive cast iron parts in China is on a downward trend

Although China is a well-known manufacturing country for precision castings, it is still far from being a major country for precision castings. The rapid increase in the production of high-precision castings in China is largely achieved at the cost of higher energy consumption, higher natural resource consumption, environmental pollution, and cheap labor. In addition, from 2006 to 2009, it can be seen that the export status of automotive cast iron products in China is still in the middle and low end supply and sales market, relatively speaking, compared to rubber products, hardware stamping parts, standard parts and other products, and is greatly affected by the fluctuations in the industry market. The financial crisis in 2008 caused harm to the export of automotive castings in China, and a downward trend occurred. Therefore, compared to the relatively developed production in the automotive manufacturing industry, there are still significant differences in the production capacity and application promotion of non-ferrous metal castings in China.