56-610: Eagle Force was a 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 -inch-high (70 mm) die-cast action figure military -themed toy line marketed by Mego Corporation in the 1980s in the United States . Produced during Ronald Reagan 's first term as president, the Eagle Force toy line was marketed to send the message that the United States was not going to be "pushed around" anymore. Designed by Bill Baron and Paul Kirchner , Eagle Force
112-503: A terrorist organization driven by the desire for world domination . Eagle Force is commanded by Captain Eagle , who wears an eye patch . The ethnically diverse cast of Eagle Force members include Big Bro , The Cat , Harley , Kayo , Redwing , Sgt. Brown , Stryker , Turk , Wild Bill , Zapper , and the female figure Goldie Hawk . R.I.O.T. is led by General Mamba , assisted by Baron Von Chill , Beta Man (an arsonist ), Nemesis
168-446: A bottom fill system that required a stable flow-front. Logical thought processes and trial and error were used because computerized analysis did not exist yet; however this modeling was the precursor to computerized flow and fill modeling. The Acurad system was the first die casting process that could successfully cast low-iron aluminium alloys, such as A356 and A357 . In a traditional die casting process these alloys would solder to
224-440: A die is directly dependent on the temperature of the molten metal and the cycle time. The dies used in die casting are usually made out of hardened tool steels , because cast iron cannot withstand the high pressures involved, therefore the dies are very expensive, resulting in high start-up costs. Metals that are cast at higher temperatures require dies made from higher alloy steels . The main failure mode for die casting dies
280-615: A highly refined process there will still be some porosity in the center of the casting. Most die casters perform other secondary operations to produce features not readily castable, such as tapping a hole, polishing, plating, buffing, or painting. After the shakeout of the casting it is inspected for defects. The most common defects are misruns and cold shuts . These defects can be caused by cold dies, low metal temperature, dirty metal, lack of venting, or too much lubricant. Other possible defects are gas porosity, shrinkage porosity , hot tears , and flow marks. Flow marks are marks left on
336-480: A hostage), and a " hippie " character named "Sleeze" (later named "Tilt" and finally "Zapper"). The characters Turk and "Pot Luk" (later named Kayo) were based on two security guards at the Mego Corporations headquarters. The Baron Von Chill figure was an in-joke based on Bill Baron. Many of the Eagle Force characters were based on ethnic stereotypes , including Nemesis, an Arab terrorist; General Mamba
392-406: A large composition of aluminium, magnesium and copper. The process for these machines start with melting the metal in a separate furnace. Then a precise amount of molten metal is transported to the cold-chamber machine where it is fed into an unheated shot chamber (or injection cylinder). This shot is then driven into the die by a hydraulic or mechanical piston. The biggest disadvantage of this system
448-590: A large production volume is needed. Other disadvantages are: Acurad was a die casting process developed by General Motors in the late 1950s and 1960s. The name is an acronym for accurate, reliable, and dense. It was developed to combine a stable fill and directional solidification with the fast cycle times of the traditional die casting process. The process pioneered four breakthrough technologies for die casting: thermal analysis , flow and fill modeling, heat treatable and high integrity die castings, and indirect squeeze casting (explained below). The thermal analysis
504-526: A large-tonnage die-casting machine, and then formed into 1–2 large castings. The aim is to reduce manufacturing costs through one-time molding, significantly decreasing the number of parts needed for car assembly and improving overall efficiency. Elon Musk 's team first proposed this processing method during the Tesla manufacturing process which is Giga Press program. American International Toy Fair The North American International Toy Fair (formerly
560-572: A mostly open trade show setting. Historically, toy district showrooms near the Flatiron building also allowed buyers to consult with sales representatives from the major toy manufacturers in a quieter setting. Each building (they were interconnected by upper story walkways) contained relatively small showrooms from many manufacturers. Products featured included current lines as well as samples of products not yet introduced, or products under development. Many manufacturers staged receptions or events prior to
616-448: A new line of Eagle Force toys under the title "Eagle Force Returns." The new toys will be 4 inch scale and arrived on the market in 2021. Die casting Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity . The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mold during
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#1732780028188672-403: A pool of molten metal to feed the die. At the beginning of the cycle the piston of the machine is retracted, which allows the molten metal to fill the "gooseneck". The pneumatic - or hydraulic -powered piston then forces this metal out of the gooseneck into the die. The advantages of this system include fast cycle times (approximately 15 cycles a minute) and the convenience of melting the metal in
728-554: A short time later: Redwing, Sgt. Brown, Wild Bill, Baron Von Chill, and Nemesis. Vehicles and playsets included a mountain base ("Eagle Mountain"), a jet, two jeeps, and two tanks, all of which were based on existing products so no new high-cost molds had to be created. Eagle Mountain, for instance, was from Marx Toys ' The Guns of Navarone playset with a few modifications. (Mego had recently acquired some Marx Toys trademarks and molding tools after that company's assets were liquidated.) In addition, Mego packaged bundles of products from
784-401: A vacuum pump removes air and gases from die cavity and metal delivery system before and during injection. Vacuum die casting reduces porosity, allows heat treating and welding, improves surface finish, and can increase strength. Heated-manifold direct-injection die casting , also known as direct-injection die casting or runnerless die casting , is a zinc die casting process where molten zinc
840-408: Is wear or erosion . Other failure modes are heat checking and thermal fatigue . Heat checking is when surface cracks occur on the die due to a large temperature change on every cycle. Thermal fatigue is when surface cracks occur on the die due to a large number of cycles. The following are the four steps in traditional die casting , also known as high-pressure die casting , these are also
896-684: Is also possible. Specific die casting alloys include: zinc aluminium ; aluminium to, e.g. The Aluminum Association (AA) standards: AA 380, AA 384, AA 386, AA 390; and AZ91D magnesium. The following is a summary of the advantages of each alloy: As of 2008 , maximum weight limits for aluminium, brass , magnesium, and zinc castings are estimated at approximately 70 pounds (32 kg), 10 lb (4.5 kg), 44 lb (20 kg), and 75 lb (34 kg), respectively. By late-2019, press machines capable of die casting single pieces over-100 kilograms (220 lb) were being used to produce aluminium chassis components for cars. The material used defines
952-515: Is cut into two cavity inserts , which are separate pieces that can be replaced relatively easily and bolt into the die halves. The dies are designed so that the finished casting will slide off the cover half of the die and stay in the ejector half as the dies are opened. This assures that the casting will be ejected every cycle because the ejector half contains the ejector pins to push the casting out of that die half. The ejector pins are driven by an ejector pin plate , which accurately drives all of
1008-475: Is forced through a heated manifold and then through heated mini-nozzles, which lead into the moulding cavity. This process has the advantages of lower cost per part, through the reduction of scrap (by the elimination of sprues, gates, and runners) and energy conservation, and better surface quality through slower cooling cycles. Semi-solid die casting uses metal that is heated between its liquidus and solidus (or liquidus and eutectic temperature), so that it
1064-540: Is in a "mushy" state. This allows for more complex parts and thinner walls. Low-pressure die casting (LPDC) is a process developed to improve the consistency and integrity of parts, at the cost of a much slower cycle time. In LPDC, material is held in a reservoir below the die, from which it flows into the cavity when air pressure in the reservoir is increased. Typical pressures range from 0.3 bar (4.4 psi) to 0.5 bar (7.3 psi). Somewhat higher pressures (up to 1 bar (15 psi)) may be applied after
1120-500: Is injected into the die before each shot to purge any air from the mould cavity. This causes small dispersed oxides to form when the molten metal fills the die, which virtually eliminates gas porosity. An added advantage to this is greater strength. Unlike standard die castings, these castings can be heat treated and welded . This process can be performed on aluminium, zinc, and lead alloys. In vacuum assisted high pressure die casting , a.k.a. vacuum high pressure die casting (VHPDC),
1176-401: Is often done using a special trim die in a power press or hydraulic press. Other methods of shaking out include sawing and grinding. A less labor-intensive method is to tumble shots if gates are thin and easily broken; separation of gates from finished parts must follow. This scrap is recycled by remelting it. The yield is approximately 67%. The high-pressure injection leads to a quick fill of
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#17327800281881232-401: Is relatively simple, involving only four main steps, which keeps the incremental cost per item low. It is especially suited for a large quantity of small- to medium-sized castings, which is why die casting produces more castings than any other casting process. Die castings are characterized by a very good surface finish (by casting standards) and dimensional consistency. Die casting equipment
1288-418: Is the slower cycle time due to the need to transfer the molten metal from the furnace to the cold-chamber machine. Two dies are used in die casting; one is called the "cover die half" and the other the "ejector die half". Where they meet is called the parting line . The cover die contains the sprue (for hot-chamber machines) or shot hole (for cold-chamber machines), which allows the molten metal to flow into
1344-573: The American International Toy Fair and also known as Toy Fair New York ) is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and at toy showrooms around the city. The event is open to the toy trade only – toy industry professionals, retailers, and press representatives. It is produced by The Toy Association . Toy Fair New York's promoters describe it as
1400-624: The Action Figure line were painted the same as the Eagle Force line, with a few obvious exceptions, as only a tan skin color was used for the figures' heads. As a result, the African-American Sergeant Brown figure became Caucasian , and the Native American Redwing had a tan head with brown arms. In 2016, Fresh Monkey Fiction and Remco Toys ran a successful crowd funding campaign to produce
1456-455: The Eagle Force toy line in specialized "Adventure Packs": Communications, Ocean Patrol, Tactical, and Bivouac. The company also produced a range of Eagle Force-related comic books (penciled by Kirchner and inked by Ralph Reese ), cap guns , and other items. Slight variations in packaging in the U.S. were common while in production by Mego; later, other companies began producing figures from the same molds. producing still more variations. Outside
1512-452: The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, attracted tens of thousands of play innovators (manufacturers, distributors, importers, sales agents, inventors, entrepreneurs, licensors, retail buyers) to preview toys and games across 445,817 net square feet of exhibit space. Nearly 1,000 members of the press attended to report on the top toy trends. Overall, approximately 100 countries were represented at
1568-710: The Saboteur , Savitar the Ninja , and a Shock Trooper figure. Mego's Vice President of Research and Development, Bill Baron, came up with the Eagle Force concept, which initially was called " Screaming Eagles ," the nickname of the U.S. Army 's 101st Airborne Division . When Kirchner was brought on board in April 1981, Baron had already sketched up a number of characters, including "Captain Claw" (later named Capt. Eagle), Goldie Hawk (the company assumed this figure would be used as
1624-475: The United States the Eagle Force lineup included numerous variations in packaging, figure painting, and additional vehicles. Eagle Force was heavily promoted at the 1982 American International Toy Fair in New York City. In the U.S., Eagle Force was sold through Target stores in May 1982, where they instantly sold out. A second wave of figures was scheduled for 1983 release, but Mego abruptly closed down in 1982 so
1680-434: The basis for any of the die casting variations: die preparation, filling, ejection, and shakeout. The dies are prepared by spraying the mould cavity with lubricant . The lubricant both helps control the temperature of the die and it also assists in the removal of the casting. The dies are then closed and molten metal is injected into the dies under high pressure; between 10 and 175 megapascals (1,500 and 25,400 psi). Once
1736-427: The casting machine. The disadvantages of this system are that it is limited to use with low- melting point metals and that aluminium cannot be used because it picks up some of the iron while in the molten pool. Therefore, hot-chamber machines are primarily used with zinc-, tin-, and lead-based alloys. These are used when the casting alloy cannot be used in hot-chamber machines; these include aluminium, zinc alloys with
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1792-422: The casting's purpose. Other die components include cores and slides . Cores are components that usually produce holes or opening, but they can be used to create other details as well. There are three types of cores: fixed, movable, and loose. Fixed cores are ones that are oriented parallel to the pull direction of the dies (i.e. the direction the dies open), therefore they are fixed, or permanently attached to
1848-423: The die by hand before each cycle and then ejected with the part at the end of the cycle. The core then must be removed by hand. Loose cores are the most expensive type of core, because of the extra labor and increased cycle time. Other features in the dies include water-cooling passages and vents along the parting lines . These vents are usually wide and thin (approximately 0.13 mm or 0.005 in) so that when
1904-416: The die, which is required so the entire cavity fills before any part of the casting solidifies. In this way, discontinuities are avoided, even if the shape requires difficult-to-fill thin sections. This creates the problem of air entrapment, because when the mould is filled quickly there is little time for the air to escape. This problem is minimized by including vents along the parting lines, however, even in
1960-533: The die. Movable cores are ones that are oriented in any other way than parallel to the pull direction. These cores must be removed from the die cavity after the shot solidifies, but before the dies open, using a separate mechanism. Slides are similar to movable cores, except they are used to form undercut surfaces. The use of movable cores and slides greatly increases the cost of the dies. Loose cores, also called pick-outs , are used to cast intricate features, such as threaded holes . These loose cores are inserted into
2016-452: The die. Similarly, Acurad castings could be heat treated and meet the U.S. military specification MIL-A-21180-D . Finally, the Acurad system employed a patented double shot piston design. The idea was to use a second piston (located within the primary piston) to apply pressure after the shot had partially solidified around the perimeter of the casting cavity and shot sleeve. While the system
2072-433: The dies; this feature matches up with the injector nozzle on the hot-chamber machines or the shot chamber in the cold-chamber machines. The ejector die contains the ejector pins and usually the runner , which is the path from the sprue or shot hole to the mould cavity. The cover die is secured to the stationary, or front, platen of the casting machine, while the ejector die is attached to the movable platen. The mould cavity
2128-534: The high temperatures found in die casting, they form a thin film. Other substances are added to control the viscosity and thermal properties of these emulsions, e.g. graphite , aluminium , mica . Other chemical additives are used to inhibit rusting and oxidation . In addition emulsifiers are added to improve the emulsion manufacturing process, e.g. soap , alcohol esters , ethylene oxides . Historically, solvent-based lubricants, such as diesel fuel and kerosene , were commonly used. These were good at releasing
2184-628: The largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere. Toy Fair began in February 1903. The first event featured less than ten toy companies with Lionel trains among the featured products. As the event expanded, more space was needed which led to toy companies occupying 200 Fifth Avenue, a former hotel site , in 1910. By 1925, it was renamed the International Toy Center . The 117th annual Toy Fair, held February 22–25, 2020 at
2240-461: The lubricant is applied, the water cools the die surface by evaporating, hence depositing the oil that helps release the shot. A common mixture for this type of emulsion is thirty parts water to one part oil, however in extreme cases a ratio of one-hundred to one is used. Oils that are used include heavy residual oil (HRO), animal fat , vegetable fat , synthetic oil , and all sorts of mixtures of these. HROs are gelatinous at room temperature, but at
2296-454: The material is in the die, to work it into fine details of the cavity and eliminate porosity. Typical cycle times for a low-pressure die casting process are longer than for other die-casting processes; an engine block can take up to fifteen minutes. It is primarily used for aluminum, but has been used for carbon steel as well. Integrated die casting refers to the high-level integration of multiple separate and dispersed alloy parts through
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2352-620: The minimum section thickness and minimum draft required for a casting as outlined in the table below. The thickest section should be less than 13 mm (0.5 in), but can be greater. There are a number of geometric features to be considered when creating a parametric model of a die casting: There are two basic types of die casting machines: hot-chamber machines and cold-chamber machines . These are rated by how much clamping force they can apply. Typical ratings are between 400 and 4,000 st (2,500 and 25,400 kg). Hot-chamber die casting, also known as gooseneck machines , rely upon
2408-486: The molten metal starts filling them the metal quickly solidifies and minimizes scrap. No risers are used because the high pressure ensures a continuous feed of metal from the gate. The most important material properties for the dies are thermal shock resistance and softening at elevated temperature; other important properties include hardenability , machinability , heat checking resistance, weldability, availability (especially for larger dies), and cost. The longevity of
2464-408: The mould cavity is filled, the pressure is maintained until the casting solidifies. The dies are then opened and the shot (shots are different from castings because there can be multiple cavities in a die, yielding multiple castings per shot) is ejected by the ejector pins. Finally, the shakeout involves separating the scrap, which includes the gate , runners , sprues and flash , from the shot. This
2520-492: The part from the die, but a small explosion occurred during each shot, which led to a build-up of carbon on the mould cavity walls. However, they were easier to apply evenly than water-based lubricants. Advantages of die casting: The main disadvantage to die casting is the very high capital cost . Both the casting equipment required and the dies and related components are very costly, as compared to most other casting processes. Therefore, to make die casting an economic process,
2576-434: The pins at the same time and with the same force, so that the casting is not damaged. The ejector pin plate also retracts the pins after ejecting the casting to prepare for the next shot. There must be enough ejector pins to keep the overall force on each pin low, because the casting is still hot and can be damaged by excessive force. The pins still leave a mark, so they must be located in places where these marks will not hamper
2632-423: The process. Most die castings are made from non-ferrous metals , specifically zinc , copper , aluminium , magnesium , lead , pewter , and tin -based alloys. Depending on the type of metal being cast, a hot- or cold-chamber machine is used. The casting equipment and the metal dies represent large capital costs and this tends to limit the process to high-volume production. Manufacture of parts using die casting
2688-699: The publishing industry. The Soss die-casting machine, manufactured in Brooklyn, NY, was the first machine to be sold in the open market in North America. Other applications grew rapidly, with die casting facilitating the growth of consumer goods, and appliances, by greatly reducing the production cost of intricate parts in high volumes. In 1966, General Motors released the Acurad process. The main die casting alloys are: zinc , aluminium, magnesium, copper, lead, and tin; although uncommon, ferrous die casting
2744-579: The second series was never produced. After Mego's demise, Eagle Force action figures were re-released by the Ideal Toy Company (recently having been taken over by CBS Toys ), in packages labeled "Strike Force" where "Eagle Force" had been printed on the Mego releases. Another company subsequently used the Eagle Force molds to create a line of figures called simply "Action Figure", using totally different packaging from Eagle Force packaging. Most of
2800-768: The show. The 2021 Toy Fair was cancelled to the COVID-19 pandemic . While the show planned to return in 2022, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 for a second year in a row in January 2022, after multiple major exhibitors announced that they would not participate due to concerns over the Omicron variant . The Toy Association CEO Steve Pasierb stated that they were obligated to "make the best decision in everyone's interest no matter how heartbreaking for so many and potentially damaging some business’ future prospects." The Javits Center exhibits feature demonstrations and displays in
2856-523: The surface of the casting due to poor gating, sharp corners, or excessive lubricant. Water-based lubricants are the most used type of lubricant, because of health, environmental, and safety reasons. Unlike solvent-based lubricants, if water is properly treated to remove all minerals from it, it will not leave any by-product in the dies. If the water is not properly treated, then the minerals can cause surface defects and discontinuities. Today "water-in-oil" and "oil-in-water" emulsions are used, because, when
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#17327800281882912-497: Was invented in 1838 for the purpose of producing movable type for the printing industry . The first die casting-related patent was granted in 1849 for a small hand-operated machine for the purpose of mechanized printing type production. In 1885 Ottmar Mergenthaler invented the Linotype machine , which cast an entire line of type as a single unit, using a die casting process . It nearly completely replaced setting type by hand in
2968-408: Was not very effective, it did lead the manufacturer of the Acurad machines, Ube Industries , to discover that it was just as effective to apply sufficient pressure at the right time later in the cycle with the primary piston; this is indirect squeeze casting. When no porosity is allowed in a cast part then the pore-free casting process is used. It is identical to the standard process except oxygen
3024-672: Was originally based on the African military dictator Idi Amin . Because of backlash concerns, General Mamba became Caucasian when his figure hit marketplace, and the Nemesis figure was not marketed in Europe. The first Eagle Force line included thirteen figures: Captain Eagle, Big Bro, The Cat, Goldie Hawk, Harley, Kayo, Stryker, Turk, Zapper, General Mamba, Beta Man, Savitar, and the Shock Trooper. Mego released five additional figures
3080-507: Was similar to the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, which was being developed by Hasbro during the same period. The primary concept of Eagle Force is that it is an elite United States Government counter-terrorist task force organization composed of special forces experts. In their fictional universe, Eagle Force was created to combat the Roving International Organization of Tyranny (R.I.O.T.),
3136-429: Was the first done for any casting process. This was done by creating an electrical analog of the thermal system. A cross-section of the dies were drawn on Teledeltos paper and then thermal loads and cooling patterns were drawn onto the paper. Water lines were represented by magnets of various sizes. The thermal conductivity was represented by the reciprocal of the resistivity of the paper. The Acurad system employed
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