The primary manufacturing processes for aluminum alloy automotive wheels include gravity casting, low-pressure casting, squeeze casting, semi-solid casting, forging, flow forming, and combinations thereof.
Casting processes are relatively simple, cost-effective, and suitable for mass production; among them, low-pressure casting is a fundamental and economical method for producing aluminum wheels. High-pressure counter-pressure casting is a more advanced casting technique capable of enhancing casting density and strength.
Forging is a key method for manufacturing aluminum wheels; it involves using a large forging press to repeatedly shape a heated aluminum ingot into a wheel blank under specific pressure, followed by flow forming to extend the rim width. Forged wheels feature a tightly packed metal grain structure, offering superior toughness, strength, impact resistance, and load-bearing capacity, while being lighter than comparable cast wheels.
Flow forming technology is often employed after the forging stage to precisely shape the rim width and further enhance performance .
Taking low-pressure casting as an example, the process comprises multiple steps-such as melt rising, mold filling, pressurization, pressure holding, and pressure release-with casting quality ensured by strictly controlling parameters like pressure, speed, and duration at each stage.
