Aluminum Alloy Intake Manifold Production by Gravity Casting

The aluminum alloy intake manifold is a critical engine component, widely manufactured using gravity casting due to its cost-effectiveness and reliability. Common gravity casting methods include vertical pouring, flat pouring, and tilt pouring. Based on our extensive experience in exhaust manifold production, our mold engineers recommend tilt pouring for its superior gas exhaust performance and stable filling pressure, ensuring higher casting integrity.

Material Selection: Heat Resistance & Durability

The most commonly used alloys for intake manifolds are:

Aluminum 380-T6 – Excellent machinability and thermal conductivity

Aluminum 356-T6 – Superior strength and corrosion resistance

These materials provide stable heat resistance and mechanical properties, directly impacting the service life and performance of the intake manifold.

Challenges in Intake Manifold Casting

Due to the complex geometries and large curvatures of intake manifolds, key production challenges include:

Sand core positioning difficulties

Pattern-making complexity

Leakage control (typically required ≤100 cm³/min at 100 Kpa)

The success of aluminum intake manifold casting depends on:

✔ Optimized casting & mold temperature fields

✔ Precision pouring system design

✔ Strict process parameter control

Dandong Pengxin has extensive expertise in overcoming these challenges, ensuring high-quality castings with minimal defects.

Wall Thickness Optimization for High Casting Yield

Many customers request ultra-thin wall sections (2-3 mm) for weight reduction. However, gravity casting at such thicknesses leads to:

⚠ Over 40% defect rate (shrinkage, sand holes, incomplete filling)

Our engineers recommend a 4-5 mm wall thickness, which achieves:

✅ 98% casting success rate

✅  Reduced porosity & improved structural integrity

End-to-End Manufacturing Capabilities

We provide full-process production, including:

3D pattern design & scanning (from customer samples)

Precision mold manufacturing

Casting & machining in-house

This integrated approach ensures tight quality control, efficient scheduling, and on-time delivery.

By leveraging our decades of foundry experience, we deliver high-performance aluminum intake manifolds with exceptional dimensional accuracy and durability.