Challenges Faced by the Customer

At a plant manufacturing aluminum die-cast components for automobiles and motorcycles, a project was launched to reduce cycle time.

As the team mapped constraints across the process, crankcase die cooling quickly emerged as a key bottleneck.

Under normal operating conditions, the die is opened after each shot, and a release agent is sprayed each time to suppress the rise in die temperature. However, because the crankcase has a complex shape and thick sections, the die temperature could reach as high as 400°C under certain conditions.

When die temperature exceeded 400°C, defects such as soldering and surface imperfections occurred, and the die itself could also be damaged. As a result, the machine had to be stopped so the die could cool naturally.

When die temperature exceeds 400°C, the machine must be stopped and the die allowed to cool naturally.

It took more than 10 minutes for the die temperature to drop naturally to the specified 250°C. During that time, the machine remained stopped, bringing a critical process in the line to a halt.
To shorten this idle time, the customer began exploring spray-based cooling and contacted IKEUCHI for support.

Solutions Proposed by IKEUCHI

After reviewing the application, our sales representative selected the SETO-SP Series, a twin-fluid spray nozzle that mixes cooling water with compressed air to generate a fine mist.
Compared with a hydraulic (single-fluid) nozzle driven solely by liquid pressure, it produces much smaller droplets, reducing the risk of wettingcool specific areas with high precision the die and surrounding areas.

The SETO-SP also features a soft spray while still maintaining a tightly controlled spray pattern, allowing it to cool specific areas with high precision. This made it possible to concentrate cooling on the die’s thick sections, where heat buildup was most severe.

The nozzle body is compact and lightweight, measuring approximately 20 mm square and less than 50 mm in overall length. Even when mounted at the end of a robotic arm, it places minimal load on the arm and is easy to handle—another feature the customer valued highly.

SETO-SP Series Pneumatic Spray Nozzles

Benefits Achieved

Previously, natural cooling of the die required more than 10 minutes, during which the machine remained stopped and the line was idle.
With the introduction of the SETO-SP, cooling time was reduced to approximately 60 seconds.

IKEUCHI’s spray nozzles continue to support cycle-time reduction and productivity gains in aluminum die-casting operations.