Every RFQ we get from a Tier 1 sourcing team asks some version of the same question: "What’s your porosity level?" It’s the wrong question, and we tell them so in the first technical review call. Porosity isn’t a single number you can put on a datasheet — it’s a distribution that depends on gate
When reviewing Tier 1 RFQ drawings, purchasing engineers often treat "ADC12" and "A380" as interchangeable material callouts. That’s a common misconception. While both alloys share a similar Al-Si-Cu chemistry, they differ in measurable ways across vacuum high-pressure die casting (VHPDC) process windows, leak-tightness performance, and post-CNC machining consistency. This breakdown is based on production data
As the Engineering Director and Quality Head at EMP Tech, I understand that for Tier 1 EV system integrators, the battery housing is not merely a structural component; it is the primary fortress safeguarding the most critical and expensive part of the vehicle: the battery pack. A leak in the battery housing—whether coolant or external
For Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive sourcing managers, 2026 presents a brutal landscape. The aggressive rollout of new Electric Vehicle (EV) architectures demands highly complex, tightly toleranced aluminum components at massive volumes. At the same time, procurement teams are being relentlessly squeezed by OEMs to cut costs. This leads to the inevitable boardroom debate:
At EMP Tech, we inherit tooling data packages that arrive with tight tolerances and aggressive timelines—and often with the same three or four failure modes already baked in. The problem is rarely the die casting machine. It’s the engineering assumptions that travel from the drawing board to the tool room without a proper DFM filter.
For decades, the automotive die casting supply chain was highly predictable. A foundry’s primary job was to pour ADC12 aluminum into hardened H13 steel molds to produce transmission cases, oil pans, and engine brackets. If a part had minor internal porosity, it was generally acceptable as long as it didn’t leak oil or fail a
