Glossary
Cycle time — definition
The time from one shot to the next — one of the two main drivers of the price of a casting.
The cycle covers closing the die, injection, solidification, opening, ejection and spraying release agent. Solidification is usually the longest element.
Solidification time is governed by wall thickness: a thick section solidifies slowly and costs machine time on every single shot, for the entire life of the series. This is why thinning a heavy section pays twice — less metal and a shorter cycle.
High pressure die casting runs at seconds to tens of seconds per shot. Gravity die casting runs at minutes.