DENSO Corporation, along with Toyo Machinery & Metal Co., Ltd. and Miyamoto Kogyosho, are the recipients of the Economy, Trade and Industry Minister's Award for developing an energy-saving diecasting system. The award will be presented by the Japan Society for Promotion of Machine Industry in February.
The system —
a compact, low-pressure diecasting system — increases energy efficiency by 50% or more and is significantly smaller than conventional models. It reduces the pressure needed to form metal objects by precisely controlling the temperature of melted aluminum to keep the material hot enough until right before it is forced into the mold.
It uses a newly developed, electric diecasting machine and a small, highly efficient melting furnace that controls the amount of material to be melted in small volumes. Additionally, the furnace — typically located in a separate location from the diecasting machine — is small enough to be connected to the machine. This close proximity minimizes a temperature decrease.
This system was first installed at DENSO's Nishio Plant in 2008. Today, there are a total of 38 units used throughout the company's worldwide operations.
"We are proud to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes our efforts in developing an environmentally-friendly manufacturing facility," stated Sojiro Tsuchyia, senior manager at DENSO.
