Die-Cast Aluminum ADC12 vs Extruded 6061/6063 — The Material Difference
Ingots for casting, billets for extrusion — the differences in strength, weldability, anodizing and tolerance that decide which one your part should be.
Read the guide →Tolerance, volume and geometry decide the process — and the process decides your tooling budget and unit cost. Pick the shape of your problem:
Tight tolerances, low-to-mid volumes, no tooling.
Complex geometry at volume — once tooling is paid.
Constant cross-sections, low die cost, strong alloys.
Enclosures, brackets and panels — fast and flat.
Each one is written from the side of the shop floor, not a content farm. Read the one your part needs.
Ingots for casting, billets for extrusion — the differences in strength, weldability, anodizing and tolerance that decide which one your part should be.
Read the guide →How to pick a shop that holds your tolerance and verifies it — supplier tiers, material certs and the landed-cost trap.
Read the guide →When casting beats machining, how tooling cost scales with volume, and keeping porosity out of the part.
Read the guide →Custom dies, 6063/6061 profiles, machining after extrusion, and how to match the profile to the job.
Read the guide →One coordinated flow from flat pattern to finished part — design rules and avoiding weld distortion.
Read the guide →What comes after the extrusion press: cutting, CNC machining, bending, welding, inserts and finishing.
Read the guide →What each vetted shop actually runs, the tolerances they hold and what they’re verified for — the backbone behind every part we source.
Read the guide →Four projects showing what these processes look like when they land: a redesign at half the unit cost, an FEA-verified part, a three-process kit.
Read the guide →Send a drawing and target market — I'll recommend the process and model the landed cost before you quote a customer.