In almost every manufacturing industry, there is a need for uniform, metal parts; automobiles, household appliances, and countless other products would not be made without them. But how are those parts made? The answer is that they are made by placing liquid metal into moulds in the shapes of the desired part. Dies, castings and forgings are all terms related to the mass-production of metal parts; here are their definitions.

Dies are, essentially, hollow steel blocks with the shape of the part carved out. The die has two sides, one that is attached to a press and one that is stationary; molten metal is pressure-injected into the dies. Once the metal hardens and cools, the part can be removed and finished.

The hardened metal, once removed from the die, is referred to as the casting. Any metal that can be melted can be cast, but the most commonly used metals for this purpose are aluminium, brass and copper alloy. Parts and products made from these pieces are lightweight, durable, and inexpensive. Cast iron and cast steel are a heavier duty metals and are most often used in car production and manufacturing plant construction.

Forgings are parts produced by hammering heated metal into the desired shape; advances in technology have introduced mechanical hammers that can be programmed to hammer as much or as little as needed. This process works best for metals such as steel or iron, as these metals have a much higher melting point than lighter metals.

Equipment for dies, castings and forgings is sold by many companies; prices vary so shop around!