International Journal of Metalcasting, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
In casting, mold design is critical as it directly influences defects such as porosity, which can reduce production efficiency and quality. Aspects of rigging design related to metal flow components—including risers, feeders, runners, and in-gates—significantly impact defect formation by controlling the molten metal’s flow within the mold. However, in the existing literature, the interactions between these design elements are often examined separately, and comprehensive studies that are both systematic and experimentally validated remain scarce. In this study, defects in water faucets produced from Cu–Zn alloy using the low-pressure die casting method (LPDC) were investigated. The aim of this study is to understand the effects of mold design parameters (specifically the feeder, riser, and gating systems) on porosity formation. In this context, five different mold designs were developed and analyzed through simulation. Based on the results, the optimized design was tested under mass production conditions. The simulation outputs, 2D radiographic images, and microstructural examinations were compared, and the findings were validated through experimental data. The results demonstrated that feeder optimization, in particular, plays a critical role in porosity control. The strong correlation between the simulation data and the radiographic and microstructural analyses reinforced the methodological robustness of the study. Furthermore, the successful leakage test results of the parts manufactured using the optimized design confirm that the proposed approach is both feasible and reliable for production applications.