Technical Articles by Bob McClintic

Engineering, Operations Management, Plant Engineering, Process Engineering & Supervision

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The following articles were published in the "Die Casting Engineer" Magazine. It is published Bi-monthly by the "North American Die Casting Association" A.K.A. "NADCA".

Making Scrap with Perfectly Good Metal (May 2025)

The Cafeteria of Die Casting Alloys (March 2025)

Creating a Stable Process in Die Casting (January 2025)

Why Would You Want to Have Your Die Coated? (November 2024)

PQ2, Process and Simulation (September 2024)

Additive Manufacturing Die and Core Cooling Lines Like Never Before (July 2024)

High Integrity Castings and Alloys (March 2024)

Machine Components: Tiny Particles Mean a Lot (January 2024)

The Thermal Aspects of Process Development, Simulation and Control (November 2023)

Can Computer Modeling & Simulation Optimize Design and Manufacturing Performance and Quality? (July 2023)

Additive Manufacturing: When was the Last Time You Re-valuated Your Perspective? (May 2023)

An "Element"-ary Guide to Die Casting Alloys: (Choosing the casting material that best suits your (customers' project)(March 2023)

Oxides are Inevitable, Hard Spots are Not! (January 2023)

"Post Casting Operations" (DCE_July 2003)

Trim Tooling, Necessary Evil or Value-Added Process or Profit Opportunity (DCE_July 2003)

"The Do's and Don't of Design" (DCE_March 2007)

"Shot tips" "Parting Shots" "Milk, Eggs & Automobiles" (DCE_November 2010)

"World Class, Brick and Mortar or Blood and Spirit?" (DCE_January 2011)

"Where have all our Journeymen Gone?" (What happened to our apprenticeship/training programs?) (DCE_March 2011)

"The Evolution of Process and Machine Controls in High Pressure Die Casting" (DCE_May 2011)

"Can't Someone Come up with Some New Problems to Solve?" (DCE_July 2011)

"Securing the Services of a Consultant? Who Needs Them?" (DCE_September 2011)

"Planting the Seeds of Our Future Success" (DCE_November 2011)

"Die Materials, The Recipe is Everything" (DCE_March 2012)

"Volunteerism and NADCA: Are you ready to get involved?" (DCE_May 2012)

"Words That We All Get Tired of Hearing" (DCE_July 2012)

"Are We There Yet?" (DCE_September 2012)

"(Will you have) Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla??" (DCE_November 2012)

"Not to Decide is to Decide" (DCE January 2013)

Is Zinc Die Casting Still Alive? Understanding Where to Look. (DCE_March 2013)

Should This Be the Die Caster's Coat of Arms? (It's Their Fault!) (DCE_May 2013)

Defining the "Perfect" Casting! (The Conversation that every supplier fears but must have in order to survive.) (DCE_July 2013)

Passive-Aggressive Vs. Team Players (DCE_September 2013)

"Structural Die Castings", Buzz Word or Reality? (DCE_November 2013)

Die Casting Machinery: Putting it all Together (Are we ready yet?) (DCE_January 2014)

Hot Chamber Process Improvement Tip: Controlling that Nuisance Drip (DCE_March 2014)

Training Our Customers? (May 2014)

To "Sprue" or not to "Sprue"? (July 2014)

Design of Experiments (D.O.E.) and Black Belt Projects (Searching for the Red X). (September 2014)

The 2014 NADCA Congress & Tabletop in Milwaukee, (A full buffet of suppliers (November 2014)

Families and Business Management Style (January 2015)

Zinc Markets and Tooling Archives (March 2015)

Tie Bars and Platens, Once More (May 2015)

Is Your Company full of "One Man Bands" or an Orchestra? (DCE_July 2015)

Living With Change (September 2015)

Pre-Fill a Hot Topic (November 2015)

Part I, Engineering the Infrastructure, Compressed Air, (January 2016)

Part II, Engineering the Infrastructure, Central Die Lube (March 2016)

Don't Miss the Point of Doing a Simulation (January 2017)

Decoding "Design Intent": (What did the Engineer really need?), (March 2017)

What's Your Training Budget for Future Success? (May 2017)

Overflows, Vents and Simulation (July 2017)

Why Not Magnesium and Zinc? (September 2017)

What is Advanced Technology in Die Casting? (November 2017)

Is it Time to Give your Shop a Tune Up? (January 2018)

Tool Steel and the Small Block Chevy V8 (long run tools vs. the annual changeover) (May 2018)

What's City Planning have to do with Recruiting Employees? (Is it time to look at how you sell your company to new or prospective employees?)�(July 2018)

Cast Over: "Hot Topic" (September 2018)

Furnaces and Metal Handling. What's the Big Deal? (January 2019)

Are there really Cost Benefits to Process Control? (May 2019)

Simulation: When is Enough, Enough? (July 2019)

Do your "Systems" Insure your Companies Success? (Taking a second look at your Procedures.), (November 2019)

What are you Waiting For? (January 2020)

When do you Begin Process Development? (When do you start Your Project-Timeline?)_(March 2020)

I Love the Smell of Die Lube in the Morning! (May 2020)

Die Casting Defects: Nothing is New, or is There? (July 2020)

Re-Thinking Die Casting Employee Training and Education. (May 2021)

CAD CAM: Computer Modeling and Simulations, Your Unanswered Questions. (July 2021)

What's the News from the Die Casting/Manufacturing Floor? (September 2021)

Even You Can Afford an Intern

Die Cast Lubricants and Plunger Life (May 2022)

Preventing Casting Defects Through Design and Simulation (July 2022

Reshoring and Secondary Operations in a Die Casting Company (September 2022)

Additive Manufacturing: Tooling, casting or process? (November 2022)

What is PPM and how do I calculate it? (DCE_March 2003):

Troubleshooting a flashing die? What are some of the major causes of flash and how do I address them?

My die won't quit flashing! (DCM_June 2002):

How much could a flashing die cost? Think the cost of flash is insignificant? Look again!

Calculating the high cost of flash! (DCM_June 2002):

Learn about the intensification circuit on various types of die casting machines:

The Effects of Intensification on Casting Quality (CDC_1998)

Bi-monthly "Parting Shots" articles featured in:

Die Casting Management Magazine

(For faster download speeds, select "text only pages below")

(Introduction to Bob McClintic and thank you to Jim Hamilton (DCM_2003)):, (For Text only format�click here)

(Flash, it's not as cheap as you think! (DCM_June 2003)), For Text only format�click here)

New Product Development and Die Casting Process. Friend or Foe? (DCM_ August 2003): (PDF format click here), For Text only format click here)

Failing to Plan or Planning to Fail? (DCM_October 2002): (PDF format click here), For Text only format click here)

Where's Bubba and why can't we make a good casting today? (DCM_December 2002): (PDF format click here), For Text only format click here)

Want to dramatically improve your up time? Look at your core pin design. (DCM_April 2003): (PDF format click here), (For Text only format click here)

Taking care of basics, the clamp mechanism (linkage) in the die casting machine. (DCM_June 2003) (PDF format click here), (For Text only format click here)

High Tech/Low Tech, Low cost measurements that pay big dividends! (DCM_August 2003): (PDF format click here), (For Text only format click here)

PPM, What is it and is it possible? (DCM_October 2003): (PDF format click here), (For Text only format click here)

Percentage of Cold Chamber Fill, Myth or Method? (Is this the primary process parameter?) (DCM_December 2003): (PDF format click here), (For Text only format click here)

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