SIC 3363 Aluminum Die-Castings

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3363

This classification is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing die-castings of aluminum (including alloys).

NAICS CODE(S)

331521

Aluminum Die-Castings

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Aluminum die-castings differ from other types of aluminum castings because of the difference in the type of mold used and the process by which the molten metal is delivered to the die. Whereas casting molds may be made of many different materials, including sand, plaster, iron, steel, and polystyrene, dies are made only of metal, most frequently steel. In die-casting, the die is filled with molten metal that is forced into it under pressure, unlike other casting processes where liquid metal is poured by gravity. Die-casting techniques are used to produce greater volumes of cast products than other types of casting.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 300 establishments operate in this category. Industry-wide employment in 2000 totaled 27,051 workers receiving a payroll of more than $896 million. Within this workforce, 22,621 of these employees worked in production, putting in more than 46 million hours to earn wages of more than $678 million. Overall shipments for the industry were valued at almost $3.9 billion in 2001.

After 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau combined the categories of aluminum die-casting foundries with that of all other aluminum foundries, so subsequent statistics reflect this combination. Industry-wide employment in 2005 for all aluminum foundries totaled 45,728 workers (down from 54,490 in 2002), receiving a payroll of $1.79 billion. Of these, 38,082 worked in production (down from 44,583 in 2002), putting in 80 million hours for total wages of more than $1.3 billion. The total value of shipments in 2005 was $4.155 billion.

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

Herman Doehler, founder of Doehler-Jarvis, developed the first die-casting machine around the turn of the twentieth century. The first commercially produced aluminum die-castings in the United States were manufactured in 1915. In 1946, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that aluminum die-casting production totaled 73 million pounds, representing about 16 percent of the total die-casting production for all metals that year. Prior to the late 1960s, zinc was used in a majority of die-cast products, but in 1967 aluminum...