U-SHIN is a global automotive parts manufacturer, specializing in automotive system
appliances and mechatronics. Its main product line includes lock sets, electronic steering column
locks, climate control panels, door latches, keyless entry, door handles, switches, power closure
systems and rear access modules. U-Shin's expertise ranges from mechanical machinery design
to electronic engineering and software, offering full support from development and design of
various parts and systems to manufacturing.
Many of the automotive parts and accessories U-Shin produces are manufactured with zamak,
an alloy with a base metal of zinc. “Approximately, 10 tons of zamak per day are produced from
U-Shin’s zamak foundry which is one of the largest foundry locations in Europe,” states Ahmed
EL ABIDI, CAE Manager and Senior Expert of U-Shin. U-Shin takes pride in being a worldwide
leader in performing high pressure die-casting with zamak. With the challenge of outputting more
than 100 tools per year, U-Shin recognizes that optimizing these tools as well as the design and
manufacturing process not only reduces time and cost, but is also a key factor in providing its
customers with the reliable solutions they expect and demand in the automotive industry.
ALTAIR INSPIRE CAST IN THE CASTING SIMULATION PROCESS
Understanding the flow and material characteristics of zamak is crucial in producing a quality
and reliable part. Being able to simulate, observe and have better insight of this material is
one of the many benefits U-Shin has seen by implementing Altair Inspire Cast casting
simulation software. “By using Altair Inspire Cast, we are able to better understand the flow of zamak
and identify the causes and location of porosity,” notes Ahmed. With the extensive material
database that Altair Inspire Cast offers, companies like U-Shin can simulate the casting process for
various parts under a variety of stresses. One of U-Shin’s most recent projects involved analyzing
the failure of an automotive dead lock pin and redesigning the part based on the simulation
results in Altair Inspire Cast. The point of failure in the dead lock pin occurred during the vibration test.
“While performing the vibration test, the movement of the slider was blocked by the zamak body which resulted in the pin not receiving the proper
amount of shocks until breakage,” explains Ahmed. After running a simulation in Altair Inspire Cast and an experimental test, it was clear that the area of
breakage occurred where porosity appeared in the casting simulation. Ahmed noted, "Once we were able to identify this point of failure, we could
then redesign the part and remove all porosity from the critical zone.
“We have seen significant time
and cost savings while using
Altair Inspire Cast: €5,000-10,000
and 3 weeks for actual trials
vs. €500-600 and 1 day of
simulations in Altair Inspire Cast.”
Ahmed EL ABIDI
CAE Manager & Senior Expert, U-Shin
WHAT'S NEXT?
U-Shin continues to employ Altair Inspire Cast on several automotive projects. By utilizing Altair Inspire Cast, U-Shin can better anticipate, modify and improve a
design which allows the company to supply the quality and robustness that its customers demand in their parts. Ahmed states, “In regards to future
projects, U-Shin plans to work with the Altair Inspire Cast team to further explore and develop other functionalities of the tool such as adaptive mesh,
stress calculation and thermal optimization.”