Increasing demands for premium quality, high productivity and cost-sav
ing products provide powerful incentives to improve the way that die c
astings are made today. Research has shown that the fluid flow of the
liquid metal and the temperature distribution of the dies and the die
castings have a critical influence on the quality of the cast products
, on the production rate and on the die life. In this present study, a
CAD/CAE system for die casting has been developed. By using the CAD p
ackage, die designers can determine the location, the shape and the di
mension of the runner and gating systems of die castings according to
the characteristics of the die-casting machine, the geometry of the ca
sting, and the properties of the alloy. After the design process, the
CAE program is used to undertake the sophisticated calculations of the
fluid flow and thermal analysis to check if there are some defects re
lated to the filling and solidification processes. Through the interac
tive process of CAD/CAE, an ideal design can be provided with the best
filling pattern and the optimal thermal condition for both the die an
d the die casting.