Industry & Background — Aluminum Die-Casting Demands High Quality

The client in this case study is an aluminum die-cast manufacturer specializing in automotive parts. In die-casting, molten aluminum is injected into molds at high pressure to mass-produce precision-shaped components. In this process, mold condition management is one of the most critical factors affecting product quality.

Molds contain complex arrangements of cooling channels and air circuits. When air leaks occur in these pathways, they cause reduced cooling efficiency, resulting in dimensional defects and porosity (internal voids) — serious quality issues. For this reason, regular air leak inspection had been positioned as an essential maintenance task.

However, conventional inspection methods required significant time and effort, and impacts on production schedules were unavoidable. Even though the company wanted to increase inspection frequency, the practical constraints of labor hours made thorough inspections impossible — a dilemma they had long faced.

Challenge — Time-Consuming Conventional Methods with Limited Accuracy

Conventional air leak inspection of die-cast molds primarily relied on pressurization testing, where each circuit was pressurized and the pressure drop was measured. While this method could determine the presence or absence of leaks, identifying the specific leak location required further investigation.

To pinpoint leak locations, methods such as applying soapy water to check for bubbles or sequentially blocking branch lines for individual pressure tests were used, all of which were extremely time-consuming. For complex molds, locating leak points alone could take several hours to more than half a day.

An even greater problem was the need to remove molds from the production line for inspection. Production had to be halted for each inspection, and the long inspection times directly translated into production losses. Breaking free of this situation required faster, more accurate inspection methods.

Product Adopted — Acoustic Camera LL-CRY-8120 (CRYSOUND CRY8120)

AirMore proposed the acoustic camera "LL-CRY-8120" (CRYSOUND CRY8120 series). The CRY8120 is a high-performance acoustic imaging camera equipped with a 200-channel MEMS microphone array that captures ultrasonic waves (2 kHz to 100 kHz) generated by air leaks in real time, visualizing leak locations as a heat map on an 8-inch high-resolution display.

Operation is extremely simple. Just point the unit at the mold, and the leak location and relative leak volume are displayed as color-coded overlays on the camera image. With a maximum detection range of 200 m and 6x digital zoom, there is no need to pressurize or block individual lines — a single scan can instantly reveal leak locations across a wide area.

Detection sensitivity is also extremely high, capable of identifying even minor leaks that conventional methods would miss, dramatically improving quality control accuracy. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, inspection results can be wirelessly shared as images, videos, and reports through the dedicated "Acoustic Link" app, making report generation and historical data comparison easy.

Results — Dramatic Reduction in Inspection Time and In-Line Diagnosis

After adopting the LL-CRY-8120, the time required for mold air leak inspection was dramatically reduced. What previously took several hours to locate leak points could now be completed in just minutes. This significant reduction in per-inspection time enabled more frequent inspections.

Substantial improvements in inspection accuracy were also observed. Real-time visualization with the acoustic camera enabled accurate detection of minor leaks and multiple simultaneous leaks that were difficult to find with conventional methods. Reduced dependence on individual inspector experience and skill also meant a consistent level of accuracy regardless of who performed the inspection — a major benefit.

Particularly noteworthy is that inspections can now be performed with molds still installed on the production line. Simply pointing the LL-CRY-8120 at a pressurized air circuit enables diagnosis, eliminating the need for mold removal or production stoppages. This has made it possible to incorporate air leak inspection as part of routine maintenance, contributing to the prevention of quality issues.

  • Inspection time significantly reduced compared to conventional methods, enabling more frequent inspections
  • Improved detection of minor leaks, contributing to prevention of quality defects
  • Inspections possible without production line stoppages, maintaining production efficiency
  • Image recording of inspection results improved maintenance history management and traceability
  • Eliminated reliance on individual expertise, establishing a standardized inspection system